Ground Search Suspended For Missing Hiker In Boulder County

BOULDER COUNTY, CO — A ground search was suspended for a hiker who went missing from a trailhead near Nederland, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said Monday.

Josh Hall, 27, of Arvada, was reported overdue Wednesday from his hiking trip. He left from the Hessie Trailhead, where his vehicle was parked, and his cell phone was last tracked from an area near the Devil's Thumb Trail and Diamond Lake cut off, officials said.

Between Wednesday night and Saturday evening, around 70 rescuers spent a total of 650 hours searching for Hall, the sheriff's office said. Searchers checked accessible cabins and mine shafts along the 4th of July Road and the Devils Thumb Lake Trail below the Diamond Lake cutoff.

A Flight for Life helicopter flew up into the area Monday to search for Hall but had to turn back due to high winds, officials said.

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More than a dozen agencies were involved in the search efforts, officials said.

The Boulder Valley School District allowed rescue crews to use Nederland High School for staging equipment and giving Hall's family a warm place to wait.

Anyone who participates in outdoor activities in the area is asked to call Boulder County dispatch at 303-441-4444 if they find discarded clothing or a dog leash.