Colorado Man’s Legs Amputated After Climbing 14er Mt. Shavano

A Colorado man had to have his legs amputated after he got lost while climbing 14er Mount Shavano near Salida. Both of his legs were amputated due to frostbite.

Nick Nolan got to the top of 14er Mount Shavano near Salido with no problems. He climbed to the top of the summit on Tuesday, October 29, but when he was making his descent, that's when he ran into some problems.

Nick went off of the main trail and got lost. He was partially yelling for help and partially listening for anyone that could help. But Nick couldn't hear the two search teams that were looking for him and they couldn't find him.

Whenever his feet started to go numb, he loosened his shoelaces to improve circulation. He said he didn't even realize when he lost his first shoe. He tried his best to protect his hands and trudged along to try to find his way down the mountain.

Nick says every time he stopped, he felt as if his life bar was just going down and draining. He kept moving because he was scared of what would happen if he stopped. Nick finally made it down the 14er at 5 a.m. on Wednesday and immediately called 911.

His hands were burned by the cold and both of his legs, unfortunately, had to be amputated due to severe frostbite. Nick says he has every intention of getting back out there and going to the places that he loves. He's sharing his story, hoping that others will learn from his experience.

We hope Nick has a speedy recovery, I'm sure his wife and kids can't wait to have him come back home.