Hiker who vanished after reaching Colorado summit found dead, officials say
Crews recovered the body of a hiker who reached the summit of a mountain in Colorado and never returned, officials said.
Luis Corkern, 41, reached Kit Carson Peak in the Sangre de Cristo mountains of southern Colorado at around 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, according to Custer County Search and Rescue. Corkern never made it back.
Crews searched for Corkern with helicopters and on the ground on Monday, July 11, and Tuesday, July 12, officials said, finding the body on the second day of the search. The body was spotted by a Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control helicopter.
Officials believe Corkern, 41, “fell from the ridge down the Kirk Couloir which lies between Kit Carson Peak and Challenger point.”
Myndee Corkern, Corkern’s partner for more than 20 years, remembered him as “a loving, dedicated father to their three young children,” according to ABC Denver7.
“He was hilarious and had a sense of humor drier than the desert, and if you knew him, you loved him,” she told the outlet. “He made ordinary moments fun and was one of the most hands-on dads I’ve ever known.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 11:28 AM with the headline "Hiker who vanished after reaching Colorado summit found dead, officials say."
