A would-be groom from Texas was misguided in more ways than one when he planned a proposal “away from any other people” in Colorado’s Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. According to the Boulder Daily Camera, the Texas couple arrived in Colorado the night before and had limited water and cold-weather gear when they embarked on the hike
A trip report on the site 14er.com calls Mount Jasper “One Tough 12er” with a total estimated altitude gain estimate of 3,200 feet over the course of 8 miles. The entry also notes an absence of reliable information on route finding that can leave visitors quite literally wandering in the wilderness.
If escaping crowds was the adventurous couple’s ultimate goal, they did that and more after running out of trail and daylight near Diamond Lake. After wandering aimlessly for sometime without proper clothing or water reserves, they finally ran into a bystander who brought them to a group of campers near Diamond Lake. The newly engaged couple were both suffering from apparent altitude sickness and dehydration. From there, rescue personnel reached them and brought them back down to the trailhead as the sun began to rise.
The heavily trafficked Indian Peaks Wilderness Area is near the town of Nederland, Colorado. It’s under an one-hour drive from Boulder and only 90 minutes from downtown Denver. The wedding is reportedly still on at the time of this writing.
You can read the full story in the Boulder Daily Camera here.