Hiker with plans to explore CO peak vanishes, deputies say. Now, a body is found
A body matching the description of a missing New Hampshire man was found by a hiker near the summit of a Colorado mountain, sheriff's deputies said.
The body is believed to belong to Russell Hardy, 55, who was reported missing June 13 after coming to Colorado Springs 'with plans to hike and explore Pikes Peak,' the El Paso County Sheriff's Office said in a June 17 post on Facebook.
Identificationof the body will be confirmed by the county coroner's office, deputies said.
The coroner's office also will determine a cause of death, according to deputies, who said foul play isn't suspected and instead 'this appears to be a tragic outcome of a man confronting the challenges of nature.'
Hardy got to Colorado Springs on June 10 and was supposed to be back home within a couple of days, deputies said.
A post made to social media put him by Crags Trailhead on June 11, according to deputies, who said his rental car was found at a trailhead.
Rescuers searched for him, including using K9s and drones, deputies said.
The hiker found his likely remains about noon June 16 near the Pikes Peak summit, according to deputies.
On a GoFundMe page, Hardy's family said climbing the mountain 'was one of his lifelong dreams.'
He reached the top and died after a fall heading down amid bad weather, his family said on the page, noting that they're taking some comfort knowing he achieved his goal 'and passed doing something he truly loved.'
Pikes Peak, which stands at more than 14,000 feet tall, is west of Colorado Springs.
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