According to Custer County Search and Rescue, a lost mushroom hunter was rescued in the Wet Mountains in the early morning hours of August 13.

After the team received a report of the lost man at about 9:30 PM the prior night, they launched their mission with three ground teams using information from his family that included the location of his vehicle and his last known GPS point.

Missing in the area of Saint Charles Peak, this part of the state can be notoriously difficult to navigate due to tree blow-down. This can make it easy to lose the trail or a route.

Crews eventually located the man at 2 AM on Saturday morning. He was cold, tired, and out of water, but uninjured. After getting some much needed hydration, he was able to follow ground teams back to the trail and eventually back to his vehicle.

All rescue team members and the subject were out of the field at about 5:15 AM. According to a press release on the incident, the man was able to haul out “a great stash of mushrooms.”

Custer County Search and Rescue was quick to point out a few things that the mushroom hunter did right. He called for help when he needed it, he knew what his GPS coordinates were and was able to send those, and he stayed put – something that “greatly contributed to the success of the mission.” Search crews also noted the importance of carrying the ’10 essentials’ of hiking.

If you’re interested in supporting Colorado’s volunteer-powered search and rescue operation, one way to do so is through the purchase of a CORSAR card. It’s cheap, at only $3 per year.

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