It’s been just a little over two weeks since Kaden Matsuda and Jackson Donlon, two students from Colorado Mountain College(CMC) in Leadville, left campus to climb in the Apostle Mountain area in Chaffee County. They left on Friday, October 23, 2026, and were reported missing the following Monday, Oct. 26th.

Search and Rescue(SAR) teams were deployed from Chaffee County and on Oct. 28th it was reported that the two students were located, having suffered a devastating equipment failure. The job of the rescue teams became that of recovery.

This particular incident shed a spotlight, not only on the necessities of planning and preparedness when endeavoring mountain expeditions, it also validated the specific expertise of our Colorado Search and Rescue Teams in general. According to Backpacker magazine, Colorado’s backcountry SAR system has the highest call volume nationally with teams routinely operating above 12,000 to 14,000 feet. Missions regularly demand high-angle technical rock evacuations, winter avalanche responses, swift water operations, and complex, multi-agency coordination.

When asked about his thoughts on recent local SAR missions, Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich said, “We have one of the highest caliber and professionally trained SAR teams in the state. I am so blessed as a sheriff to have them. Deputy Meseke and K-9 Arch have been huge additions to our team and they are just another amazing tool for SAR to use to make them that much better. I am so proud of all of them. They are heroes, all.”

Because of the widespread focus on the CMC students’ tragedy, dissection of the incident is still happening, even after the coroner’s report. In a recent interview on the locally produced podcast, Colorado Soul Stories, Chaffee County Deputy, CJ Meseke shared what he could about his involvement in this mission with his K-9 companion, Deputy Rescue dog, Archie.

Archie was in the spotlight this past summer when his sharp sense of smell helped to locate three children who had wandered off from their campsite near Buena Vista.

On the first day of the SAR deployment for the missing CMC students, Meseke and Archie hiked in with other personnel to hunt for leads. On day three, after following some high elevation tracks, Archie gave his signal to Meseke and was then relieved from hiking through deep snow to allow teams to pursue that lead and eventually locate the bodies of the two students.

“There’s a lot of questions and a lot of hypothesizing about what happened (to the students),” Meseke said, “assumptions, things like that. It’s an accident and I think it can happen to anyone at any time. I think that’s just what people have to understand. There’s nothing that, from my understanding of it and my experience, that anyone did wrong.”

This assertion brings up the overarching subject of risk-taking and preparedness for outdoor adventure. Meseke puts the responsibility on the individual and knowing your own limitations. He added that learning those limitations comes from, hopefully, well thought out, cumulative experiences outdoors.

 “This tragedy really had nothing to do with the climbers,” he said, “they were prepared. They were doing something they enjoyed doing. And I would say the same thing of people going up to the ski resort. I love to ski. I’ve been called to a number of accidents that occurred up there, some of which were fatal. And it’s kind of the same thing – it’s really just a big accident.

I would say that in this last situation, some people may consider it risky, some people may not. They didn’t, and I think that’s the same as when people choose to go down a black diamond when they’ve never done a black diamond, and this was their first one, and some of them have been like, ‘I made it. That wasn’t hard.’ And others get through and are like, ‘You know what? That was a little too challenging for me.’ They learned. I think that’s how you create those boundaries. But in a situation like with these two gentlemen, I don’t think they were exceeding boundaries. I think it was just a tragic accident.”

In the meantime, Meseke did recommend ways to be better prepared for wilderness expeditions, such as investing in a satellite tracker like the Garmin InReach, and making sure you have the subscription to make it work. He cautioned against trackers that use Bluetooth as they are not as reliable.

Get a good pack together that includes extra layers and food and water. And if you have a canine companion, don’t forget about them. Meseke carries a special first aid kit for Archie, boots, a parka and even a harness to carry him down if he gets injured while on a mission.

Additionally, in the case of needing to reach out to SAR, when venturing out alone, tell someone. Tell them as specifically as possible where you are going, the route you intend to take and when you plan to return. Providing this information helps the experts locate you.

Meseke talks more about his relationship and training routine with Archie, how he got into SAR and how he manages the emotional toll it can take in the Colorado Soul Stories Podcast interview found here and on most listening platforms.

For more information or to donate to local Chaffee County Search and Rescue teams go to these websites: https://www.chaffeesarsouth.org/ and https://www.chaffeecountysarnorth.org/