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Body found of hiker who went missing on Kit Carson Peak

The man didn't return to the trailhead after reaching the summit of the 14er in southern Colorado.

Jennifer Campbell-Hicks
9News

SAGUACHE COUNTY — Crews found and recovered the body of a hiker on Tuesday, July 12 who reached the summit of a southern Colorado 14er but didn’t make it back down to the trailhead.

Luis Corkern, 41, was reported overdue from his hike Saturday in the Kit Carson Peak/Challenger Point area in the Sangre de Cristo Range, according to Custer County Search and Rescue.

Corkern had ascended Kit Carson Peak via the north ridge and reached the summit about 4 p.m. Saturday. He planned to descend via the Challenger Point summit but didn’t return to his vehicle at the trailhead, Custer County SAR said.



The search for Corkern, which also included Saguache County Search and Rescue, started Monday.

Search efforts continued Tuesday, which is when a Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) helicopter spotted Corkern’s body. He apparently fell from a ridge between Kit Carson Peak and Challenger Point, according to Saguache County SAR.



Read more at 9News.com.


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