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

Screenshots from Dove's ad featuring transgender women
Dove

'One Million Moms' Calls For Dove Boycott Over Hair Care Ad Featuring Trans Woman

The vehemently transphobic conservative group One Million Moms (OMM)—an arm of the Christian fundamentalist nonprofit American Family Association (AFA)—called for a boycott of Dove products after the company featured a transgender woman in an advertisement for their Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Conditioner.

The ad garnered attention after it was shared by the social media account Libs of TikTok—run by the anti-LGBTQ+ conservative Chaya Raichik—which described the ad as an example of "another woke company trying to erase women."

Keep ReadingShow less
Alyssa Milano; Julian McMahon
Michael Kovac/Elton John AIDS Foundation/Getty Images; Marcus Ingram/The Surfer/Getty Images

Alyssa Milano Shares Poignant Tribute To 'TV Husband' Julian McMahon After His Death At 56

Actor Julian McMahon lost his battle with cancer at the age of 56 earlier this week, and to say that the Charmed, Nip/Tuck, and Fantastic Four actor touched many lives would be an understatement.

When the news of McMahon's passing went public, his Charmed costar and "TV wife" Alyssa Milano came forward and expressed her sadness and condolences on Instagram. The pair were a favorite couple on Charmed, and it was clear from her post that their care for each other extended beyond the screen.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Who Slept With Their Best Friend Describe The Aftermath

When two people have a deep and meaningful friendship, the question might eventually come up of whether or not they could be more. Agreeing that their friendship might deserve more, they might try to date or at least explore physical intimacy.

But crossing that line carries with it consequences, and it's only once the pair crosses that line that they'll find out if crossing it was good or bad.

Keep ReadingShow less
child writing on chalkboard
Leonardo Toshiro Okubo on Unsplash

Bilingual People Explain Which Words They're Surprised Don't Exist In English

According to one report, approximately 3.3 billion people worldwide—43 % of the population—are multilingual, meaning they speak at least two languages. According to the last Census, 21.6% of people in the United States speak more than one language, while in the United Kingdom, the number is 36%.

More multilingual people speak English as a second language than English speakers who have learned another language besides English. Worldwide, people who learned English as a first language rate among the lowest in multilingual rates.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Garfield at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival
Harry Durrant/Getty Images

Andrew Garfield meets fan with wild tweet!

American actor Andrew Garfield had a funny yet awkward reunion with a fan from a viral “Thirst Tweet” featured on Buzzfeed Celeb.

The Thirst Tweet compilation shows celebrities reading a collection of scandalous tweets from fans commenting on their looks, attractiveness, and sex appeal. Blushing stars include James McAvoy, Renee Rapp, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Mackie, and more recently, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, as they promote F1 the Movie that was released in theaters last week.

Keep ReadingShow less