A 51-year-old Texas man has been missing since Sunday at Mesa Verde National Park.
Fifty searchers on foot and horseback and two dog teams on Tuesday combed the canyons around Spruce Tree House where Mitchell Stehling told his wife and parents he was going to visit Sunday afternoon.
After he did not return, rangers were notified and the search began in the Chapin Mesa area. But as of Tuesday evening as the sun went down, he had not been found, said Betty Lieurance, public information officer for the park.
“It has not been confirmed that he ever went to Spruce Tree House, so other nearby areas, Petroglyph Point and Spruce Canyon, are a focus of the search,” she said. “It has been hot, and he is not accustomed to high altitudes.”
Stehling, of Goliad, Texas, on the Gulf Coast, was last seen wearing a brown shirt and hat, khaki shorts and hiking boots.
The terrain consists of steep canyons and mesa tops at elevations between 6,500 feet and 8,000 feet. A helicopter surveyed the rugged terrain, and crews on the ground were joined by 20 members of the San Juan National Forest Hot Shots. Two dog teams from Dolores Canine Search and Rescue also were assisting.
The Hot Shots were pulled away from the search midafternoon to respond to the Black Forest Fire outside Colorado Springs.
It was reported that Stehling does have a cellphone, but it was not turned on. Cell service at Mesa Verde National Park generally is nonexistent, but there are some spotty areas near the road and higher points where a signal can be obtained.
Mesa Verde officials did not know whether the man had any backcountry experience or had medical issues. He was not carrying any overnight gear.
A backcountry gate near the Spruce Tree House ruin offers access to Spruce Canyon and connects to a network of off-limits trails available for special tours. There are stashes of survival gear, including water and food, at certain points.
The searchers followed up on some clues Monday, following footprints and a finding a water bottle, but they turned out to be unrelated to the missing man, Lieurance said.
“It was 102 (degrees) Monday in the canyons, and it is believed he did not have any water,” she said. “People tend to underestimate Spruce Tree House because you can see the ruin while walking down. The trail is just a quarter mile, but it is steep.”
Posters alerting park visitors about the missing man have been put up, and hikers are being advised to be on the lookout.
It is rare for hikers to go missing for prolonged periods of time in the park, Lieurance said.
“We have people who go missing, but they take a different route and are back in a couple of hours,” she said.
Durango Herald Staff Writers Shane Benjamin and Ann Butler contributed to this report.
