A search that drew more than 60 rescuers has ended in tragedy in Colorado's Sawatch Range. Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20 — both students at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville — were found dead on Wednesday, October 28th, in a basin below West Apostle peak, roughly two days after they were reported missing.
The pair set out over the weekend aiming to climb Ice Mountain, an established 13,000-foot summit in the Collegiate Peaks. College staff raised the alarm on Monday the 26th when neither returned to class. Their vehicle was found at the trailhead, buried under around eight inches of fresh snow — with up to two feet accumulated on the mountain itself.
Search teams on foot, plus aircraft and drones, worked against the clock as more bad weather loomed. On Tuesday they found the students' tent near Lake Ann, collapsed under the snow load. Sleeping bags, a stove and clothing were still inside, but the two men were gone. Their climbing gear wasn't in the tent, the car or their dorm rooms, which suggested they had carried it with them for a technical ascent. The tent's position led rescuers to believe they had changed plans and gone for neighbouring West Apostle instead.
Their bodies were located around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, close together in a basin on the mountain. Chaffee County Sheriff's Office announced the news after notifying the families, saying foul play is not suspected and that no theories would be offered until autopsies are complete.
What makes the loss harder to process is how prepared the two apparently were. Matsuda was training as a wildland firefighter; Donlon was studying to become a mountain guide. Friends and family describe them as experienced in the backcountry. Sheriff Andy Rohrich put it plainly: almost every safety measure rescuers advise, these two took. When autumn storms move into Colorado's high country, preparedness only goes so far.
For anyone hiking or climbing in the Colorado Rockies this time of year, the story is a stark reminder. Early-season snow can arrive fast and heavy at altitude, turning a moderate route into a serious proposition. Leave a detailed itinerary with someone who will act if you don't check in — in this case it was college staff, not family, who triggered the search. Check point forecasts rather than town forecasts, since accumulations at 13,000 feet can be several times what falls at the trailhead. And be honest about rerouting: even skilled mountaineers get caught when conditions shift mid-trip.
The sheriff's office asked for space for the families as they grieve. A community in Leadville and beyond is mourning two young men who clearly loved these mountains and knew them well.
