Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Hiker Lost On Mountain For 24 Hours Ignored Calls From Rescuers For Awkwardly Relatable Reason

Hiker Lost On Mountain For 24 Hours Ignored Calls From Rescuers For Awkwardly Relatable Reason
Westend61/Getty Images

A Colorado hiker who got lost while trudging up a mountain has safely returned home after being marooned for 24 hours in the wilderness and elements.

Why, you ask?


Because they were trapped under a felled tree or cornered by a bear or rescuers simply couldn't find them?

No, none of that. It was simply they ignored rescuers' phone calls because they came from an unknown number.

We hear you laughing, but we have one question.

Who among us doesn't reflexively send those calls to voicemail nowadays? Who wants to be lost and asked about their cars extended warranty?

This could have happened to anyone in our telephobic culture! Telephobia is the fear of answering the phone.

On social media, people cannot stop laughing about how relatable this all is.


 


It all began on October 18, when the hiker did not return from a trip up Mount Elbert, which at 14,440 feet is Colorado's highest point and one of several "14'ers"--mountains over 14,000 feet in altitude--that draw hundreds of thousands of hikers and mountaineers from all over the world each year.

Around nightfall, the hiker realized they had drifted from the trail and spent the night trying to find their way back to it. In the meantime they were reported missing, and search and rescue teams in Lake County, Colorado began canvassing the area to no avail. They then tried multiple times to call the hiker's phone, but got no answer.

Finally, after about 24 hours out in the wilderness, the hiker found their way back to their car and returned from the expedition, totally unaware there had even been a search for them because they'd ignored all the phone calls due to the unknown numbers they came from.

In a Facebook post, Lake County Search and Rescue turned this into a cautionary tale.

"If you're overdue according to your itinerary, and you start getting repeated calls from an unknown number, please answer the phone; it may be a [search and rescue] team trying to confirm you're safe!"

Okay well when you put it that way... But how are any of us to know it's Search and Rescue and not someone trying to reach us about our vehicle's extended warranty?!

And if you're the type of person who sends every call to voicemail and finding this story deeply chilling, you're not alone: Practically all of social media was like, "Okay, I'm triggered."


 



 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Jokes aside, let's please take this to heart, fellow telephobes.

Just answer the dang phone sometimes, okay?

More from Trending

Donald Trump
Mehmet Eser/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Demands 'Boss Of AT&T' Fix Equipment After Failed Conference Call In Bizarre Meltdown

When most of us have technical difficulties, we contact tech support or customer service.

But if you're President of the United States, just ranting on social media—then having your White House Press Secretary post a screenshot of your post on a social media platform people actually use—is apparently the answer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Lauren Boebert speaking to Alex Stein
Prime Time with Alex Stein/Blaze Media

Lauren Boebert Casts Doubt On Moon Landing During Wild Interview With Conspiracy Theorist

Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert was criticized after she seemingly agreed with the conspiracy theory that the moon landing was faked in a wide-ranging interview with conservative conspiracy theorist Alex Stein.

The segment began with the duo casting doubt on nuclear weapons—Boebert even joked about needing "tin foil"—and moved into weirder territory when Stein praised Boebert for "vibing" with him on the topic of the moon landing. Conspiracy theorists have long alleged the moon landing was fabricated by NASA in what they claim was an elaborate hoax.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rosie O'Donnell; Oprah Winfrey
Simon Ackerman/Getty Images; Ernesto Ruscio/GC Images

Rosie O'Donnell Calls Out Oprah For Attending Jeff Bezos' Wedding In Scathing Poem

Among the various celebrity hangers-on who attended Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's Venice wedding, the one that seemed to generate the most controversy was Oprah Winfrey.

After all, a woman known for her progressive politics whose entire ethos is about teaching people how to be their best selves, attending the wedding of man who directly funded a fascist regime dismantling our country before our eyes doesn't exactly add up.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lisa Murkowski
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Lisa Murkowski Slammed After Criticizing Massive Budget Bill She Just Voted For

Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski was slammed after she claimed that President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill is "not there yet" despite casting the deciding vote to narrowly pass it before sending it back to the House.

In a marathon voting session, the Senate narrowly passed the legislation in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote after three Republicans joined all Democrats in opposition.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman listening to her boyfriend play guitar
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Things People Initially Found Attractive About Their Partner That Now Annoy Them

Being in a relationship can be wonderful, but it's not without its ups and downs.

In order for it to work, we have to allow it to grow and change over time rather than being locked forever into what it was when we first started dating our person.

Keep ReadingShow less