CO CO - Chad Pallansch, 49, of Ft Collins, attempting 28-mi route from East Inlet Trailhead, Rocky Mountain Natl Park, last contact 27 Sep 2023

[Unalienable Rights]

Search underway for missing Fort Collins man in Rocky Mountain National Park

Chad Pallansch, 49, was last heard from around noon on Wednesday and reported overdue on Thursday, according to officials with the national park.

www.denver7.com

Search Efforts Ongoing For Missing Man In Rocky Mountain National Park - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

News Release Date: September 29, 2023
Contact: Kyle Patterson, 970-586-1363

Today, September 29, Rocky Mountain National Park rangers continued search efforts for Chad Pallansch, 49, of Fort Collins, Colorado. He was reported overdue yesterday, September 28, and park rangers confirmed his vehicle was still parked at the North Inlet Trailhead on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. Pallansch was last heard from around noon on Wednesday, September 27.

Pallansch started from the East Inlet Trailhead near Grand Lake on Wednesday, September 27. His reported itinerary was an expansive 28-mile route which included crossing the Continental Divide and traveling on established trails as well as off trail travel through steep talus slopes. Potential travel areas include Lake Verna, Mount Alice, Chiefs Head Peak, Black Lake, Mills Lake, and Flattop Mountain.

Pallansch is described as 5’7,” 155 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He is described as a fit runner with both trail running and marathon experience. He is likely wearing a black ultralight jacket, black running shorts or leggings and a grey fanny pack.

Search efforts yesterday afternoon included air reconnaissance as well as ground crews on the North Inlet and East Inlet Trails and east of the divide near Mount Alice. Search efforts today include air recon and ground teams searching the Black Lake and Upper Glacier Gorge area, Thunder Lake as well as the North Inlet Trail to Solitude Lake. Park rangers are also continuing investigations.

If you have information that could help investigators, if you may have seen Chad Pallansch, or if you were in the areas listed above on September 27, please contact us. You don't have to tell us who you are, but please tell us what you know. CALL or TEXT the National Park Service Investigative Services Bureau Tip Line 888-653-0009, ONLINE form www.nps.gov/ISB or EMAIL nps_isb@nps.gov

https://twitter.com/x/status/1707925016304861498

 

[Warwick1991]

As I write this, the temperature in FT Collins is 49 degrees F. The high for today is 86 degrees F. That's in the city. I hope he had an emergency thermal blanket in his fanny pack, because he must have been out there overnight for a few days in shorts and light clothing. If he didn't, hypothermia is a very real possibility. There are folding blankets (really foil) that fit easily in a fanny pack.

For a 28 mile trek, he appears to me to be traveling too light...

 

[Beth11311]

I wonder if he’s one of these “ultralight” hikers…no mention of water, food. He couldn’t have been doing a single day trip...he was scheduled to return the following day. Where did he plan to shelter!? Where is the rest of his gear?? Marathon running is very different from experience with climbing and survival. I’d love to hear what @RickshawFan thinks.

 

[Pyrite]

I wonder if he’s one of these “ultralight” hikers…no mention of water, food. He couldn’t have been doing a single day trip...he was scheduled to return the following day. Where did he plan to shelter!? Where is the rest of his gear?? Marathon running is very different from experience with climbing and survival. I’d love to hear what @RickshawFan thinks.

The picture is obviously from a trail run race, so I wonder if this might have been a training run. From the description of his possessions with him (Fanny pack and running clothes) he was in no way prepared for an overnight stay. I would also assume he had at least a water bottle and some way to get more clean water such as a small water purifier of some kind.

I did check https://www.athlinks.com/search/unclaimed?category=unclaimed&source=internal&term=Chad Pallansch . Which shows he did a 100k ultra run (62 miles) back in 2015. Maybe he is training to do another.

 

[sunflowermomma]

I wonder if he had water stashed if he was training for an ultra? That wouldn't be uncommon.

 

[Beth11311]

The picture is obviously from a trail run race, so I wonder if this might have been a training run. From the description of his possessions with him (Fanny pack and running clothes) he was in no way prepared for an overnight stay. I would also assume he had at least a water bottle and some way to get more clean water such as a small water purifier of some kind.

I did check https://www.athlinks.com/search/unclaimed?category=unclaimed&source=internal&term=Chad Pallansch . Which shows he did a 100k ultra run (62 miles) back in 2015. Maybe he is training to do another.

Thank you, I realize the photo is from a run/race and not current, I was going off the description above given with his missing info: “He is likely wearing a black ultralight jacket, black running shorts or leggings and a grey fanny pack”. To me that doesn’t leave much room for anything much to be carried. I’m just concerned he wont have enough heat/food/gear to survive especially if injured.
It’s incredible he has done an ultramarathon. That’s not a small feat.

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 30, 2023

Search on for Fort Collins man missing in Rocky Mountain National Park since Wednesday

Chad Pallansch of Fort Collins was last heard from on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, while attempting a 28-mile trip through Rocky Mountain National Park.

www.coloradoan.com

Pallansch was last heard from around noon, Wednesday, and remained missing at 1 p.m. Saturday, his wife, Connie, confirmed to the Coloradoan.

 

[GraceG]

As I write this, the temperature in FT Collins is 49 degrees F. The high for today is 86 degrees F. That's in the city. I hope he had an emergency thermal blanket in his fanny pack, because he must have been out there overnight for a few days in shorts and light clothing. If he didn't, hypothermia is a very real possibility. There are folding blankets (really foil) that fit easily in a fanny pack.

For a 28 mile trek, he appears to me to be traveling too light...

www.weather.com lists the nearest city for temp forecast as Estes Park CO. It shows a high in the 60s today and down into the 40's at night with a 30% chance of rain. I do hope they locate him today. Hypothermia is a real risk this time of year.

 

[RickshawFan]

His reported itinerary was an expansive 28-mile route which included crossing the Continental Divide and traveling on established trails as well as off trail travel through steep talus slopes.

Snipped for focus

This is talus. Picture traveling off-trail through this.....



Public domain photo, Wikipedia

 

[Howl]

First, I deeply hope this search has a happy ending, but that possibility diminishes as the minutes and hours pass. Almost certainly the nighttime temps are freezing or below along the route he was running.

It appears that he's an experienced trail runner and has done off road marathons and even ultra marathons. Almost certainly participants in these events are required to use a SPOT PLB (personal locator beacon).
A SPOT PLB allows others to track your location and progress through an APP or a website like TrackLeaders.com And obviously, the user can also send out a call for assistance.

MOO! Why, why WHY was he not using a SPOT or other PLB, especially on an extremely long run when it sounds as though he was crossing scree slopes to link up existing trails on his route? Even the latest high-end IPhones (iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15, or iPhone 15 Pro) have an emergency SOS via satellite feature.

I know these types of people are super confident in their abilities when they set out for a run, but the mountains are unforgiving, especially at this time of year.

My heart is breaking for his loved ones and family as they wait for news or possibly even participate in the search.

 

[Pyrite]

First, I deeply hope this search has a happy ending, but that possibility diminishes as the minutes and hours pass. Almost certainly the nighttime temps are freezing or below along the route he was running.

It appears that he's an experienced trail runner and has done off road marathons and even ultra marathons. Almost certainly participants in these events are required to use a SPOT PLB (personal locator beacon).
A SPOT PLB allows others to track your location and progress through an APP or a website like TrackLeaders.com And obviously, the user can also send out a call for assistance.

MOO! Why, why WHY was he not using a SPOT or other PLB, especially on an extremely long run when it sounds as though he was crossing scree slopes to link up existing trails on his route? Even the latest high-end IPhones (iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15, or iPhone 15 Pro) have an emergency SOS via satellite feature.

I know these types of people are super confident in their abilities when they set out for a run, but the mountains are unforgiving, especially at this time of year.

My heart is breaking for his loved ones and family as they wait for news or possibly even participate in the search.

I‘v never heard of PLB‘s being required for ultramarathon or any other trail race. It would be a great idea to have one, but in my experience, I’ve never seen it being a requirement.

in 2017, and 2018 I ran 50k and 50 mile trail ultra’s and lots of shorter trail runs in the sierras, as well as doing sweeps (cleaning up flags and debris in a section of the of the course after the race) in longer races up in Tahoe and never seen PLB as a requirement.

It may have changed since then, but I didn’t find any races in ultrasignup.com that required it. Great idea though, IMO, for any solo trail runner.

 

[Howl]

I‘v never heard of PLB‘s being required for ultramarathon or any other trail race. It would be a great idea to have one, but in my experience, I’ve never seen it being a requirement.

Thanks for this correction! Totally incorrect assumption on my part based on long-distance mountain biking events.

Are runners in these evens using chip timers and if so, does the chip track the runners progress and location on the course?

 

[Howl]

I did review the runner's manual for the Hardrock 100, a seriously extreme event that begins and ends in Silverton, CO: "100-mile run with 33,197 feet of climb and 33,197 feet of descent for a total elevation change of 66,394 feet with an average elevation of 11,186 feet - low point 7,680 feet (Ouray) and high point 14,048 feet (Handies Peak)."

They do require that each racer carries at all times a provided GPS device.

"Mandatory Electronic Runner Tracking
We require that all runners carry a small, Hardrock-issued GPS transmitter during the run. Check out the MAProgress for more information and a demonstration of their web-based interface to follow runner progress and run flow.
We have adopted this innovation for a number of reasons:

• Improved ability to locate runners in our Search and Rescue efforts
• Mitigating risk and exposure to our Search and Rescue Volunteers
• Appropriate technology that poses a minimal imposition on our runners
• Requests from our permitting agencies who have adopted similar technology
• Popularity with friends and family of our GPS transmitter trial in 2015"

The main permitting agency for this event is likely the US Forest Service.

 

[AmandaSkis]

But he wasn’t in a race when he went missing, was he?

 

[Tippy Lynn]

I hope the search won't be compromised due to the government shutdown. National Park sites across the country, gates will be locked, visitor centers will be closed, and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed.

 

[GoJacks]

I hope the search won't be compromised due to the government shutdown. National Park sites across the country, gates will be locked, visitor centers will be closed, and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed.

Believe Polis issued an executive order to keep national parks in CO open if government shuts down.

Edit: also it looks like they passed a bill to avoid shut down?

 

[Warwick1991]

I hope I’m wrong, but I think survival is unlikely if he hasn’t been found yet.

 

[tarabull]

Government Shutdown Will Close America’s National Parks, Impede Visitor Access | U.S. Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior is committed to upholding the highest standards of public access to and maintenance of America’s national parks and public lands.

www.doi.gov

​

Activities to Protect Life and Property Will Remain Ongoing​

During a potential lapse in government funding, the NPS will continue activities necessary to protect life and property, expressly authorized by law, and necessarily implied by law, including:

• Law enforcement and emergency response
• Border and coastal protection and surveillance
• Fire suppression for active fires or monitoring areas currently under a fire watch
• Protection of federal lands, buildings, waterways, equipment, and other property within the National Park System, including research property
• Activities that ensure production of power and maintenance of the power distribution system
• And other services and activities as designated in the National Park Service’s contingency plan.

Additional contingency plans for bureaus and offices across the Department can be found online at doi.gov/shutdown.

 

[Warwick1991]

Government Shutdown Will Close America’s National Parks, Impede Visitor Access | U.S. Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior is committed to upholding the highest standards of public access to and maintenance of America’s national parks and public lands.

www.doi.gov

​

Activities to Protect Life and Property Will Remain Ongoing​

During a potential lapse in government funding, the NPS will continue activities necessary to protect life and property, expressly authorized by law, and necessarily implied by law, including:

• Law enforcement and emergency response
• Border and coastal protection and surveillance
• Fire suppression for active fires or monitoring areas currently under a fire watch
• Protection of federal lands, buildings, waterways, equipment, and other property within the National Park System, including research property
• Activities that ensure production of power and maintenance of the power distribution system
• And other services and activities as designated in the National Park Service’s contingency plan.

Additional contingency plans for bureaus and offices across the Department can be found online at doi.gov/shutdown.

Fortunately, a bipartisan stopgap bill to prevent a shutdown was passed by the House and the Senate, and quickly signed by President Biden. So, no shutdown for now. Shutdown Averted

The bill will fund the US government until November 17th.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Pallansch – described as a fit runner with trail running and marathon experience – reportedly had a hiking itinerary that involved a 28-mile route that crossed the Continental Divide and switched between travel on established trails and steep talus slopes, starting at East Inlet Trailhead.

Possible travel areas may include Lake Verna, Mount Alice, Chiefs Head Peak, Black Lake, Mills Lake, and Flattop Mountain

Runner missing in Rocky Mountain National Park after embarking on 28-mile route | OutThere Colorado

According to authorities of Rocky Mountain National Park, an ongoing search is underway for missing 49-year-old Chad Pallansch of Fort Collins at the popular Colorado destination.

denvergazette.com