Search continues for missing man Chad Pallansch in Rocky Mountain National Park
The search for Chad Pallansch continued Thursday in Rocky Mountain National Park. The 49-year-old from Fort Collins was reported overdue on Sept. 28.
He was last heard from around noon on Sept. 27. A text was received at the time indicating he was almost to the summit of Mount Alice and roughly miles from the Bear Lake area. Park rangers confirmed his vehicle was still parked at the North Inlet Trailhead on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Pallansch started from the East Inlet Trailhead near Grand Lake on Sept. 27. His reported itinerary was a 28-mile route which included crossing the Continental Divide and traveling on established trails as well as off-trail travel through steep talus slopes. Potential travel areas include Lake Verna, Mount Alice, Chiefs Head Peak, Black Lake, Mills Lake, and Flattop Mountain.
According to investigators, he had not attempted this route previously but is an experienced trail run who has run several routes in the park including Longs Peak more than 30 times.
Pallansch is described as 5-foot-7, 155 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes, is considered a fit runner with both trail running and marathon experience. He is likely wearing a black ultralight jacket, black running shorts or leggings and a grey fanny pack. Pallansch had personal navigation with him, but the device was not designed for emergency assistance.
Search efforts have included ground crews and a search from the air including a heat-sensing fixed-wing flight. On the ground, crews have covered areas including North Inlet and East Inlet Trails, Mount Alice, Black Lake, Upper Glacier Gorge area, Thunder Lake, Lion Lakes, Sandbeach Lake, Boulder-Grand Pass, Lowell Peak, McHenry's Peak, Arrowhead, Thatchtop, Stone Man Pass, Chiefs Head Peak, west ridge of Pagoda, Andrews Glacier, Upper Chaos Canyon, and Tyndall Glacier areas.
Helicopter flights happened Thursday and are planned again Friday. As weather permits, ground searchers and dog teams will be flown to several locations on Friday. RMNP said that in order to limit scent distractions and assist the effectiveness of the dog teams, a closure is in effect beginning Thursday at 6 p.m. from Mount Alice to McHenry's Peak including Black Lake and Lion Lake 1, Lion Lake 2 and Snowbank Lake
So far, search efforts have turned up nothing.
Additional Information from Rocky Mountain National Park:
If you have information that could help investigators, if you may have seen or know Chad Pallansch, or if you were in the areas listed above on September 27, please contact us. You don't have to tell us who you are, but please tell us what you know. CALL the National Park Service Investigative Services Bureau Tip Line 888-653-0009, ONLINE form go.NPS.gov/SubmitATip or EMAIL nps_isb@nps.gov.
Assisting Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team members include Larimer County Search and Rescue (LCSAR), Grand County Search and Rescue (GCSAR), Rocky Mountain Rescue Group (RMR), Front Range Rescue Dogs (FRRD), Colorado Search and Rescue Association (CSAR), aircraft from the State of Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC), Northern Colorado Interagency Helitack (US Forest Service) and a contracted helicopter with Trans Aero.