Man Dies Within Sight of Longs Peak Summit In Rocky Mountain National Park

A 62-year-old Coloradan died Monday within 110 yards of the summit of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. NPS photo.

A Colorado man within sight of the summit of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park died Monday from a cardiac episode. It was not immediately known whether the 62-year-old from Durango, who was in the so-called "homestretch" area en route to the summit of the 14,259-foot peak, had summited.

Park officials were alerted at 10:30 a.m. Monday by a cellphone call that CPR was being applied to the man, who was hiking with a family member and was within 110 yards of the summit. Bystanders on scene performed CPR for approximately 30 minutes.

A park ranger reached the victim at 11:20 a.m. The victim’s body was flown to a helispot in the Upper Beaver Meadows area of the park at 3:25 p.m. His body was then transferred to the Boulder County Coroner. The victim’s name will not be released until next of kin are notified.