Injured Marine missing in park

Search to resume for Boulder climber on leave from Iraq

John C. Enslin, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 31, 2006 at midnight

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BOULDER - A Marine visiting home on leave from Iraq remained missing Wednesday night, one day after he injured his head in a climbing accident.

About 40 searchers with dogs, horses and a helicopter scoured the steep trails and creek beds in Eldorado Canyon State Park, five miles south of Boulder.

Lance Hering, 21, of Boulder, had been "bouldering," or freestyle climbing, with friend Steve Powers, 20, also of Boulder, when Hering fell about 10 to 15 feet. Hering slid another 30 feet down a steep slope before coming to rest, Powers told Boulder County sheriff's deputies.

"It's very ironic that he survived all the combat that he saw and that he's injured here at home doing the thing he liked to do best," said his father, Lloyd Hering, who was at a command post waiting with his wife, Elynne, for news about their son.

Hering was unconscious for about four hours after the fall, according to Powers, who remained with his buddy.

Later, Hering came to, but he appeared to be disoriented, Sheriff Joe Pelle said. "Lance was described as what I would call 'loopy,' " Pelle said near the command post that had been set up outside the park's visitors center.

"He knew Steve and he knew he was hurt, but he would keep repeating things," Pelle added.

Neither man had been wearing a helmet, the sheriff said. The pair used fabric torn from Hering's black T-shirt and fashioned a bandage for his head wound.

Hering fell about 10 p.m. Tuesday. When he began to regain consciousness about 2 a.m. Wednesday, Powers said, he decided to get help.

"Steve told Lance, 'I need you to stay here. I'm going to get help,' " Pelle said.

It took Powers about 90 minutes to two hours to hike back down the trail. The 911 call to sheriff's deputies came in around 5:15 a.m., Pelle said.

Deputies quickly assembled a rescue team that returned to the point where Hering had last been seen on a trail that runs between Eldorado Canyon and Boulder County's Walker Ranch Open Space Preserve.

"They found Lance's climbing shoes - he's wearing sneakers. They found some blood and they found a water bottle," Pelle said. "They couldn't find Lance."

Searchers from Rocky Mountain Rescue, the Boulder Emergency Squad and the Boulder City Park rangers took part in the daylong effort.

Deputies also utilized five dogs and three horses, plus a helicopter that the sheriff's office had hired. Hering is described as about 5 feet 8 inches tall.

His parents were at the command post fielding calls from relatives and friends, and helping authorities to make calls to area hospitals on the chance that their son had wandered out of the park.

"He's in terrific physical condition," his dad said. "He's a very determined, very self-reliant young man. He's not in the habit of calling for help. I wished he'd stayed where he was.

" 'Lance, if you're out there please make yourself known. Don't be embarrassed.' My gut feeling is he'll get out. He's tough."

The search ended at 8 p.m. and was to resume at dawn. Pelle said he planned to keep a small crew of deputies on the trails in case Hering wanders out on his own.

"Your heart bleeds for the parents. They're brave people," Pelle said. "I hope we can deliver for them."

Hering's parents said their son had returned from Iraq about a month ago, and he had returned to his Boulder home during the last week. Hering is familiar with the area where he fell because he had climbed it when he was attending high school in Boulder, his parents said.

"He's a very self-sufficient person," his father said. "It would be like him to hike out and try to take care of his wound. We're afraid he might be confused in walking around."

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