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Hiker dies on Thomas Lakes Trail outside of Carbondale

Unidentified 35-year-old man died while hiking Thomas Lakes Trail.

Aspen Times staff

A 35-year-old man died Friday afternoon after passing out while hiking the Thomas Lakes Trail with his girlfriend, who tried to resuscitate him with instructions from Pitkin County dispatchers, the county Sheriff’s Office reported.

The Coroner’s Office is investigating the death of the unidentified man and will release his name after notifications of family, according to a release.

According to the Sheriff’s Office report:



It began with a phone call from the girlfriend on the trail at 11:52 a.m. to the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center. Thomas Lakes Trail is a 7.8-mile out-and-back trail just outside of Carbondale. The trail is popular with hikers looking for a relatively easy day-hike, and backpackers seeking to summit Mt. Sopris.

Pitkin County deputies made contact with her via cell phone and learned the man was unconscious, his lips blue and breathing shallow. CPR resuscitation efforts were advised and instructed. Dispatch was able to get coordinates from the location of the cell phone where the call was placed. Deputies immediately requested the assistance of the all-volunteer group, Mountain Rescue Aspen (MRA), as well as a Flight For Life helicopter (FFL).




FFL went airborne at 12:20 p.m., and, at 12:25 p.m., members of MRA, as well as a county backcountry community response officer, deployed.

FFL reached the man and his girlfriend at 1:04 p.m., and he was pronounced dead at 1:20.

All members of MRA and FFL were out of the field by 4 p.m.

The Sheriff’s Office said the man may have experienced a cardiac event.