Michelle Vanek

Michelle Vanek had come up from Denver that morning and left Half Moon Campground around 0700 hours to go hiking. Near the summit of Mt. Holy Cross, Michelle stated she was very tired and her friend told her to wait and he would go to the top and be right back. The friend stated he advised Michelle that if she wanted to head back down, to follow the trail and he would catch up with her. The friend stated that on the way down, he did not locate Michelle. The friend stated he went back up to look for her and had talked to several hikers in the area. All had told him that they had not seen her. The friend told Deputies that Michelle was a tri-athlete, but was an inexperienced high altitude hiker. Deputies were advised that Michelle was wearing a red shirt and black pants with hiking boots. The friend also advised that Michelle had approximately 3-4 layers of clothes with her. During the hike, Michelle had run out of drinking water at approximately 1315 when she stopped to rest.