FRISCO, Colo. – Two teenage boys visiting from Oklahoma became stranded while hiking on Mt. Royal Monday afternoon. The hikers, neither of whom suffered injuries during the incident, were brought to safety by Summit County Rescue Group.

Stepbrothers Noah Over and Robert Paden, both 16, were dropped off on the recreation path in Frisco by their parents at about 10:30 a.m., Monday. According to their father, they were in light hiking gear and were carrying hydration packs. He thought they would be walking along the paved pathway the whole time.

The boys became lost and cliffed out on the east side of the mountain (facing Frisco), about 500 feet above the path. They used a cell phone to notify their parents, who then called local authorities.

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Rescuers received a page at 2:45 p.m., and Summit County Rescue Group sent 11 people into the field to find the boys.

“I have no idea how they got where they are,” Summit Rescue spokesman Jim Koegel said during the rescue operation. “This mountain tricks people.”

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Rescuers made contact with the boys at 3:40 p.m., walked them down the mountain, and reunited them with their parents at 5:30 p.m.

According to Koegel, hikers should stick with their plans and notify someone if their plans change. Hikers should also be prepared for a variety of weather conditions and carry rain gear and a flashlight, “because you just never know.”

jsutor@summitdaily.com