Rocky Mountain National Park suspends search for missing Fort Collins man
The search for missing Fort Collins trail runner Chad Pallansch has been suspended, Rocky Mountain National Park officials announced Tuesday.
The park, with help from nine other agencies and private companies, has searched exhaustively through the air and on the ground for the 49-year-old Pallansch, who went missing Sept. 28.
The experienced trail runner was on an arduous 28-mile loop run crossing the Continental Divide, partly off trail, and through steep terrain in the heart of the park's backcountry when he went missing.
Winter-like conditions with snow, strong wind and freezing temperatures are forecast for the park Wednesday evening through Friday. But park spokesperson Kyle Patterson told the Coloradoan that did not contribute to suspending the search.
Patterson told the Coloradoan searchers have actively searched 11 days (weather prevented searches other days) and logged more than 500 ground miles over terrain including large boulders, ridgelines, sheer cliffs, loose talus slopes, ice, snow and dense forest.
"The search efforts have not revealed any clues,'' Patterson said. "Because this is such a large area and Chad had not done this route before, search managers had to consider a variety of scenarios, including Chad being lost, injured or deceased,'' Patterson said. :
Timeline of Chad Pallansch's disappearance
Morning of Sept. 27: Pallansch started at the East Inlet Trailhead near Grand Lake on the west side of the park. He was to return to his vehicle parked at the North Inlet Trailhead on the west side of the park near Granby the following day. The distance between the two trailheads is roughly 1.5 miles.
Noon, Sept. 27: Pallansch was last heard from around noon, when a text indicated he was almost to the summit of 13,135-foot Mount Alice, which is just more than 7 miles (in a straight line) east of where he started his run.
Sept. 28: Pallansch was reported late according to his itinerary and rangers confirmed his vehicle was still parked at the North Inlet Trailhead. A search ensued.
Oct. 10: The park announced it was suspending the broad-scale search after coming up dry on clues to Pallansch's location.
What's next in the mission to find Chad Pallansch
While broad-scale search efforts are being suspended, patrols will continue to occur in the search area "when conditions warrant and further actions may be considered," the park said in a Tuesday news release.
It added reported clues will be investigated as appropriate and Pallansch will be listed as a missing person.
Pallansch is described as 5-foot-7, 155 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He is likely wearing a black ultralight jacket, black running shorts or leggings and a gray fanny pack. Patterson confirmed to the Coloradoan park officials don't believe Pallansch was wearing any high-visibility color clothing.
Anyone who may have seen Pallansch or was in the same area of the park Sept. 27 is asked to contact the National Park Service Investigative Services Bureau Tip Line at 888-653-0009, fill out the online form nps.gov/orgs/1563/submit-a-tip.htm or email nps_isb@nps.gov.
A closure put in place over the weekend to limit scent distractions and assist the effectiveness of the dog teams has been lifted.
A GoFundMe site has been set up with permission from the family to offset bills. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than $14,000 was raised toward the $50,000 goal. Pallansch is married with two children.
Pallansch was a software engineer at Hewlett Packard Enterprise in Fort Collins since 2009 until recently when he began work for another company.
Pallansch joins a list of at least four other people who remain missing in the park.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Rocky Mountain National Park suspends search for missing trail runner
