Trail runner vanishes on 28-mile trek through Rocky Mountain National Park, rangers say
A trail runner vanished on a 28-mile trek through Rocky Mountain National Park that would take him across the Continental Divide and other steep and rocky terrain, rangers said.
Chad Pallansch, a 49-year-old from Fort Collins, Colorado, was reported overdue from his trail run on Thursday, Sept. 28, the National Park Service said in a news release.
Pallansch started the “expansive” 28-mile trek from the East Inlet Trailhead near Grand Lake on Sept. 27, the release said. He planned to cross the Continental Divide, a majestic mountainous divide that separates watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean and river systems that drain into the Atlantic Ocean.
He also planned to trek on established trails and on off trails “through steep talus slopes” — similar to more commonly-known scree slopes. His route would potentially snake through Lake Verna, Mount Alice, Chiefs Head Park, Black Lake, Mills Lake and Flattop Mountain, officials said.
While Pallansch hadn’t tried this exact route before, the seasoned trail runner had run plenty of routes through Rocky Mountain National Park and had trekked Longs Peak — the tallest peak inside the park — more than 30 times, officials said.
He was last heard from around noon on Sept. 27, and park rangers confirmed his car was still parked at the North Inlet Trailhead on the west side of the park the day he was reported overdue, officials said.
A 55-person rescue team continued searching for Pallansch on the ground Oct. 1, officials said. The search effort focused on multiple areas, including Boulder Grand Pass, Mount Alice, McHenry’s Peak, Arrowhead, Stoneman Pass, Chiefs Head Peak, Thatchtop, Powell Peak and Andrews Glacier. Teams are also searching trails on the west side of the park that could have been on his route.
Teams have been searching from the air using heat-sensing technology, but strong winds hampered air operations Sunday, officials said. Park rangers are investigating and ground teams are searching on the North Inlet and East Inlet trails, Black Lake and Upper Glacier Gorge area, Thunder Lake and Lake Powell.
Pallansch is about 5 feet, 7 inches tall and 155 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes, officials said. He’s described as “a fit runner with both trail running and marathon experience,” and while he had a personal navigation device with him, it wasn’t designed for emergency assistance, officials said.
He was wearing a black ultralight jacket, black running shorts or leggings and a gray fanny pack, officials said.
Anyone who was in the search areas on Sept. 27 or who might have seen Pallansch should contact the National Park Service Investigative Services Bureau Tip Line at 888-653-0009 or by emailing nps_isb@nps.gov.
This story was originally published October 2, 2023 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Trail runner vanishes on 28-mile trek through Rocky Mountain National Park, rangers say."
