The search continues for a missing hiker who vanished in Rocky Mountain National Park.

James Pruitt, 70, of Etowah, Tennessee, set off to hike in Rocky Mountain National Park sometime around February 28, 2019. That was the last time anyone heard from him. Pruitt’s car was found at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead, a popular trailhead known for accessing many natural wonders located inside the park, including waterfalls, alpine lakes, and granite peaks.

Unfortunately, search efforts were quickly halted early on due to severe weather. More than 2 feet of snow fell over the Glacier Gorge area between February 28 and March 3. This is where Pruitt was believed to be. If there were any clues pertaining to Pruitt’s whereabouts, they got buried under 24+ inches of snow.

Following the heavy snow, an aircraft performed a search over Sky Pond, Lake Haiyaha, Flattop Mountain, and Bierstadt Lake. No clues were found.

Rocky Mountain National Park ramped up search efforts early October, with 40 search and rescue team members scouring off-trail areas by foot. A thorough search was conducted at Prospect Canyon drainage and the Glacier Gorge drainage above Jewel Lake, leaving crews again without answers.

October was a snowy month for Colorado. The mountains are now blanketed under several feet of snow, which put a delay on search efforts for the missing hiker – at least for now. Search efforts will likely pick up sometime in the spring as snow and ice start to melt off the trails.

Thanks goes out to all the crews assisting in the continuous search for James Pruitt, including Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue, Larimer County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue, Diamond Peaks Ski Patrol, Douglas County Search and Rescue, Alpine Rescue Team, numerous dog teams from Larimer County Search and Rescue, Search and Rescue Dogs of the United States, and the Colorado Search and Rescue Association.

Editor’s Note: Help fund search and rescue missions across the state of Colorado by purchasing a CORSAR card at  ihelpsearch.org. This is not an insurance card. By purchasing a card, you are helping reimburse teams for costs incurred in providing help to lost and injured hikers, climbers, mountain bikers, hunters, ATV riders, skiers, snowboarders, and more.