RMNP rangers rescue Loveland father, son on Longs Peak

Rocky Mountain National Park rangers rescued a Loveland father and son who lost their way descending Longs Peak on Sunday night.

The unidentified man and his 13-year-old son climbed the popular Keyhole Route up the 14,259-foot mountain on Sunday. On their way down, they went for the road less traveled: the Clark’s Arrow route, a hard-to-find path denoted by a faded rock painting of a white arrow.

But the duo got off route as they descended the Loft between Longs Peak and Mount Meeker. Temperatures were well below freezing and winds were high. The man called rangers on a cellphone for help.

RMNP search and rescue staff reached the two about 10:30 p.m. and assisted them down the Loft, reaching a backcountry shelter near Chasm Lake at 2 a.m.

FATAL CRASH: Unidentified man dies Sunday in Highway 287 wreck

The group spent the rest of the night at the shelter and continued their hike out Monday morning. They should have reached the trailhead about 10:30 a.m., according to a park press release.

The park is withholding the names of the man and his son because the son is a juvenile.

Longs Peak is see its share of fatalities, especially as winter conditions descend on the mountain around October. In total, 62 people have died hiking Longs Peak. Three people died there in 2014, and a Montana man was found dead

at the bottom of Lambs Slide on the east side of the mountain in October.