Two men who spent a cold and wet Wednesday night on Mount Princeton were finally rescued by Chaffee County Search and Rescue volunteers Thursday afternoon.  Peter Kimball, of Washington, DC, and his friend, Steve Metz, a San Francisco, California resident, both 35, began their hike from the Grouse Creek trailhead near Alpine on Wednesday.  Intending an easy “day hike,” the two were lightly clothed and carried only small amounts of food and water.  

Kimball called 911 from his cell phone shortly before 9pm Wednesday saying that he and his friend were lost, cold and wet, and unprepared to spend the night in the open.  Search and rescue officials were notified by the sheriff’s office.  Believing the circumstances indicated the two were in imminent danger, search team officials launched a rare nighttime mission to find them.  Two teams, each with three rescuers, began the ascent on foot and continued their search until after 3am Thursday but were unable to locate the hikers who had moved off the trail.  Cell phone contact with them was lost.

Additional rescuers joined the operation at about 7am Thursday.  Kimball and Metz were finally located at about 9:45am.  Metz had suffered a twisted ankle during the ordeal.  Both were then assisted to the Agnes Vaille Falls trailhead, arriving at about 3pm.

About 25 search and rescue personnel participated in the operation.  All are volunteers who provide their services and personal equipment free of charge to the people of Chaffee County.