SummitPost.org

Posted: **Mon Oct 11, 2010 8:25 pm**

A search-and-rescue effort for a Chicago hiker who went missing in Colorado Friday entered its third day Monday.

James Nelson, 31, was reported missing by his fiancé Friday evening after he failed to return from a solo, five-day, 25-mile hike of Mount Holy Cross, about 100 miles west of Denver, according to the Eagle County, Colo., Sheriff’s Office.

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Posted: **Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:09 am**

Hope he returns safely. From the weather reports and webcams it has been winter up above 10-11k ft in Colorado the past few days.

Posted: **Wed Oct 13, 2010 7:02 am**

The search is being called off at midnight Tuesday.

It's a rough time of year to do Mt. Holy Cross. Even though his route was to circumvent the peak, 25 miles around it, through the wilderness at lower elevations - was the temptation there to try for it before the weather turned bad. We've had such great weather until the last few days.

This story also points out another unfortunate hiker and just how vast Holy Cross Wilderness area is.

http://www.vaildaily.com/ARTICLE/201010 ... 7/1062/RSS

Another soul five years prior:

http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional ... 79f43.html

Hunting season always gets to my nerves when hiking out of any trip. Not that there is any indication of a mishap.

Posted: **Fri Oct 15, 2010 3:36 pm**

Here is the latest from the Denver Post.

Searchers and family have quietly moved on after the unsuccessful search for James Nelson, a 31-year-old Chicago hiker who was reported missing in Colorado's Holy Cross Wilderness last week.

His family was not talking to local or national media to publicize his case, Shannon Cordingly, a spokeswoman for the Eagle County Sheriff's Office said Thursday.

The search was called off Tuesday after no trace of Nelson had been found.

"We have no clues," Sheriff Joe Hoy told the Vail Daily newspaper. "There's nothing on the ground."

The search was suspended until some evidence of Nelson turns up in the area. His fiancee reported him overdue from his 25-mile, five-day hike on Oct. 8.

The Vail Daily reported that Hoy took Nelson's family and friends to the deck at Vail's Adventure Ridge on Tuesday, where they looked out over the Holy Cross Wilderness where Nelson disappeared.

Nelson is the director of official roster records at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Chicago office. A chapel service was held there to pray for Nelson on Wednesday.

"We understand there comes a time when a search like this has to stop," church spokesman John Brooks told the Vail Daily.

The paper said Nelson had never before hiked in Eagle County.

Posted: **Sat Oct 23, 2010 7:42 pm**

I hadn't heard about this. I certainly hope he is found, or finds his way back out. Otherwise, with the winter weather finally coming in, it might not be until spring for his family to get any kind of closure.

Posted: **Sat Jan 01, 2011 1:06 pm**

As of January 1, 2011, he has not been found and is presumed dead. Michelle Vanek, who went missing in 2005 on or near Mount of the Holy Cross, was never found either. Sad endings to trips in a wonderful place.

SummitPost.org

Missing hiker / Holy Cross

Missing hiker / Holy Cross

Re: Missing hiker / Holy Cross

Re: Missing hiker / Holy Cross

Re: Missing hiker / Holy Cross

Re: Missing hiker / Holy Cross

Re: Missing hiker / Holy Cross