Engagement Leads To Colorado Mountain Rescue For Texas Couple

BOULDER COUNTY, CO - A Texas couple is safely home after their engagement ended in an overnight rescue from Diamond Lake. Joshua Mason and Kate Davis of Denton, Texas, were rescued from a campsite with altitude sickness in the early hours of Sunday morning by Nederland Fire Protection District and Rocky Mountain Rescue Group officials, according to a press release from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.

The couple had flown to Colorado on Friday. On the first day of their trip at altitude, Mason took Davis on a hike from the Fourth of July Trailhead toward Jasper Peak, a trek of 8.2 miles with nearly 3,000 feet of elevation gain to a 13,000-foot summit. Along the way he hoped to find a scenic, private place to propose to his girlfriend.

He did–and she accepted–however, after a late start it began to get dark, and without a clear trail to the far-above-treeline summit, the couple became disoriented and lost. The had not prepared for either cold weather or an overnight stay, and they were carrying little water. The newly-betrothed pair was found by a lone hiker who led them to a site at Diamond Lake where he and his friends were camping. Although they gave the Davis and Mason water, food, and a place to get warm in a tent, the couple was exhibiting signs of altitude sickness and severe dehydration.

Because of the couple's continuing poor condition, one of the campers chose to hike down to the trailhead and drive into Nederland to get cell phone service, where she called 911 at approximately 2 a.m. Sunday. A Nederland Fire Protection District paramedic found the campsite at about 4:30 a.m. and determined that the couple needed to move to low altitude immediately. At that time, they were both able to hike and with assistance from the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, arrived at their rental vehicle at the trailhead by 6:30 am.

In a promising sign for the marriage itself, Mason admitted fault–he did not leave enough time to complete the hike before dark, and did not carry enough food and water–and, according to the sheriff's office, the happy couple says the engagement is still on.

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Image courtesy Boulder County Sheriff's Office, via Google Maps.