According to a post by a family member on Facebook, the hiker that’s missing on Pikes Peak’s Barr Trail has reportedly been found alive.

UPDATE: The detail that the hiker, now identified as Michael Ransom, was found alive has been officially confirmed by the Colorado Springs Gazette. Ransom was found two miles from the summit, above where he lost contact with his tent and other equipment.

“They found him! They found my brother! He is hurt, but alive!” wrote the missing man’s sister around noon on Wednesday.

A report made by the same family member on Tuesday indicated that the missing hiker was last heard from on Monday night around 10 PM after leaving to summit 14,115-foot Pikes Peak during a birthday hike.

Few official details have been released about the case and the El Paso County Search and Rescue has yet to confirm that the hiker was found. The team had started a search for the missing hiker on Tuesday afternoon amid whiteout conditions at the summit and high winds that prevented some aerial operations. Their plan was to deploy a much larger team on Wednesday if the hiker was not discovered on Tuesday night.

The initial post made by the sister of the missing hiker included more information about the situation. She reports that he grew sick from symptoms similar to those of altitude sickness roughly four miles from the summit and hunkered down in a tent. While he had planned to take a train down from the peak, train operations were suspended due to bad weather.

“He is so resourceful and smart,” the sister said of her brother. “He is my very best friend.”

Barr Trail is a long, class one hike in Colorado, currently under winter conditions. Even one-way ascending, the hike is 12 miles with 7,600 feet of elevation gain. Climbing it at this time would mean a long, strenuous slog through snow.

It’s advised that those entering the backcountry, especially those traveling solo, carry some sort of GPS communication device should a cell phone fail. Not only do these devices, such as the Garmin inReach, offer communication in typically disconnected areas, they also have a very long battery life and are typically better at performing in cold weather scenarios.

While the report of this hiker’s discovery is unconfirmed via official sources, it seems to be the case that he was found alive with some sort of injury. More details will likely be released in upcoming days.

To those planning hikes in Colorado during the spring, checking current conditions is absolutely crucial. In this case, 14ers.com would likely be the best resource for determining what conditions are likely on Barr Trail, as users of this popular website post about their experiences on a regular basis. AllTrails can also be a good resource, as can contacting those on social media sites, like Instagram, that have recently tagged images on a given peak.

Winter and spring hiking can mean many hazards not encountered during the summer, with even the slightest amount of wind-blown snow capable of covering tracks and hiding a trail under blue sky conditions. Avalanche risk can also be a major concern, making it crucial to stay up-to-date with current conditions on the Colorado Avalanche Information Center website.

If you’re interested in supporting Colorado’s volunteer-driven search and rescue service, purchasing a CORSAR card (they’re cheap) can be a great way to do so.

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