A Planned Mountain Climb Ended With 2 Colorado Mountain College Students Found Dead Near Each Other in a Colorado Basin. Their Cause of Death Remains Unknown.
by Jerome London · Thought CatalogUpdated 1 minute ago, October 30, 2026
Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, were found dead about 3:30 p.m. Oct. 28 in a basin on West Apostle Mountain in Colorado’s Chaffee County, following a search that stretched across 3 days. The Colorado Mountain College students were near each other. Investigators haven’t determined how they died, and the sheriff’s office says it doesn’t suspect foul play.
Both attended the college’s Leadville campus. Matsuda, from Ridgway, Colorado, served with the Log Hill Volunteer Fire Department and was studying to become a wildland firefighter.
Donlon, from Queensbury, New York, was training to become a mountain guide. Family and friends described both as experienced hikers and climbers.
They left campus Oct. 23. Friends told deputies their intended destination was Ice Mountain, a roughly 13,951-foot peak in the Three Apostles that requires technical climbing skills even in dry conditions. They’d shared a map with friends and planned to return Oct. 24 if conditions felt unsafe, or Oct. 25 if they continued the climb.
College staff reported them missing just after 10 a.m. Oct. 26. Deputies located Matsuda’s vehicle at the Mt. Huron trailhead. Snow around it measured about 8 inches deep, but the ground beneath it was bare, indicating it had arrived before the storm.
Rain had been falling when they set out. Heavy snow arrived the following afternoon. Ice Mountain received 1 to 2 feet, with accumulations reaching 3 to 4 feet in places because of drifting and snow sliding downhill.
Ice covered the peak, and snow concealed boulder fields. The sheriff’s office described travel on foot as extremely dangerous and said a helicopter couldn’t land on the mountain.
On Oct. 27, a helicopter search led crews to their campsite near Lake Ann. Their tent had collapsed beneath the snow. Sleeping bags, a stove, clothing and their lighter shoes remained inside.
Their technical climbing footwear wasn’t there, and deputies hadn’t located their climbing gear in the tent, vehicle or dorm rooms. Investigators believed they’d left camp equipped to climb before the snowfall.
The campsite’s location helped redirect the search toward neighboring West Apostle Mountain. Friends said they’d previously camped there with 1 of the students before a climb of that peak.
About 60 people joined the search on Oct. 28, with helicopters, drones and dogs supporting the effort. Teams also checked the opposite side of the range in case the students had descended that way.
Officials waited until relatives had been notified before announcing the deaths Wednesday night. The college said counselors were available and that its focus was supporting the families and Leadville campus.
The sheriff’s office and Chaffee County Coroner’s Office are investigating. Officials say they’ll wait for autopsies before offering a theory. As of Thursday morning, Oct. 29, the bodies remained in the basin while crews waited for winds to ease enough for a helicopter recovery.
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