A search-and-rescue team member searching for James Pruitt in Rocky Mountain National Park in the Lake Haiyaha area on March 6, 2019/NPS

With little to go on, and heavy snows and blizzard-like conditions impeding efforts, a search for a missing Tennessee man in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado has been suspended.

The search for James Pruitt, 70, of Etowah, Tennessee, was launched on March 3 after rangers found his vehicle parked at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. The man's family was contacted, and they said he was in the park and hadn’t been heard from since Thursday morning, February 28, at approximately 10 a.m.

More than two feet of snow accumulated in the Glacier Gorge area between Thursday, February 28, and Sunday, March 3. That significant snowfall in mountainous terrain added to the challenge of search efforts, making finding clues to Pruitt’s whereabouts even more difficult.

Active search efforts took place March 3 through March 9. The overall search area encompassed approximately 15 square miles and included the Glacier Gorge drainage, the Loch Vale drainage, and the Glacier Creek drainage. Searchers concentrated efforts in the heavily forested areas near Bear Lake and the Glacier Gorge Trailhead, the Nymph Lake area, Chaos Creek area, the Alberta Falls area, Lake Haiyaha, Mario’s Gully east of Lake Haiyaha and the winter trails to Mills Lake and The Loch. Off snow-packed trails, searchers encountered chest deep snow in numerous areas.

On Tuesday, March 5, a multi-mission aircraft (MMA) from the State of Colorado assisted efforts with fixed-wing aerial reconnaissance over Sky Pond, Lake Haiyaha, Flattop Mountain and Bierstadt Lake.

Patrols will continue to occur in the search area, and further actions may be considered as conditions improve. Reported clues will be investigated as appropriate.