The remains of the missing hiker, Rich Moore, since August were discovered by a hunter who also found the man's dog, Finney, a jack russell terrier, beside the hiker's body on October 30 in Colorado's San Juan mountains.
Moore and Finney failed to return home from their hiking trip on August 19. The family members said the 71-year-old hiker had prepared to reach the 12,500ft summit of Blackhead Peak east of Pagosa Springs.
Missing Colorado Hiker Found Dead
The crew brought a helicopter to comb through the forests in the first search attempt. They found the car of Moore when they moved toward the trailhead.
The report said that the crew spent more than 2,000 hours searching for him and still had not found him. Not until Taos Search and Rescue (Tsar) led the search and investigation and announced on Facebook that a hunter in the Lower Blanco drainage basin had found Moore's body.
The hunter immediately called the authorities and a team from the Archuleta county sheriff's office after discovering the remains of Moore. According to the Denver Gazette, the search and rescue crew members operated the next day to locate, determine, and retrieve the body of Moore.
The crew found Finney alive, who stood beside Moore for months, and the search crew rescued him. The crew took him to a local veterinary office for treatment.
After his evaluation and treatment, the authorities said Finney had reunited with Moore's family. The family said they were glad that they were able to gain some closure, as well as bring their dog back home.
According to The Guardian, the authorities still have not released the cause of death of Moore. However, the authorities noted that they did not suspect foul play.
TSAR Rescue Efforts
Delinda Vanne-Brightyn, a member of the TSAR crew, posted on her Facebook and said she and her certified rescue dog searched for Moore from just under the peak-top and directly west, searching down the mountain toward where his car was located.
She said the area was steep and had strong winds from the West/Southwest. Then, they found him 2.5 miles East of the mountaintop beneath, where a helicopter inserted them in.
The post said, "Delinda and TSAR would like to send our condolences to the family, but are glad they were able to gain some closure as well as bring their dog back home."
According to the report of Blackhead Peak in Summit Post, the mountain reaches 12,500 feet of elevation. The trail report stated that the standard summit-bound route was about three miles one-way.
Rio Blanco is located in a valley southeast of the mountain's summit, and the standard summit-bound follows the mountain, which starts on the northwest side of the peak.
