North Texas Couple Rescued After Getting Engaged, Then Lost, Dehydrated During Hike In Colorado
BOULDER COUNTY, Colorado (CBSDFW.COM) - A Denton, Texas man proposed to his girlfriend during a mountain hike in Colorado Friday and she said, "yes."
However, that may not be the most memorable thing that happened to them.
On Saturday, September 29, 2018, Joshua Mason, 27, took his girlfriend, Katie Davis, 28, on a hike from the 4th of July Trailhead in unincorporated Boulder County, Colorado, northwest of Nederland to Jasper Peak on the Continental Divide.
An 8.2 mile hike with an elevation gain of more than 3,000 feet to the nearly 13,000 foot summit, Mason was hoping to find an isolated scenic location "away from any other people" to propose to Davis.
They found exactly such a location, and Davis happily accepted the surprise proposal, according to the Boulder, Colorado Sheriff's Department, a
But the couple got a late start, were carrying little water and they were not equipped for cold weather or to camp overnight.
When it became dark, they became disoriented and got lost.
A hiker found them and led them to a group of his friends who were camping at Diamond Lake.
Mason and Davis were reportedly showing signs of altitude sickness as well as severe dehydration, and the campers provided them water, food and shelter in a tent where they were able to get warm.
Due to the couple's condition, one of the campers hiked down from Diamond Lake to her vehicle at the 4th of July Trailhead, and then drove down to Nederland to get cell service and called 911.
Boulder County Communications received the call at 2:08 a.m. on Sunday and Boulder County Sheriff's Deputies, the Nederland Fire Protection District and the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group were dispatched.
A Nederland Fire Protection District paramedic located the campers at Diamond Lake around 4:30 a.m.
He determined Mason and Davis needed to move to a lower altitude immediately, and by that point they had recovered enough that they were both able to walk down to the trailhead, assisted by Rocky Mountain Rescue Group personnel.
They arrived at the trailhead and their rental car at about 6:30 a.m., and they required no further medical treatment.
Deputies determined the couple's engagement was still on, despite the memorable ordeal.