Cliff Buchan
News Editor

A park ranger missing in Colorado since last Friday is the son of a Forest Lake couple. According to officials at Rocky Mountain National Park 40 miles northwest of Boulder on Tuesday, the search is continuing for Jeff Christensen, 31, of Fraser, CO. Christensen, the son of Dale and Christine Christensen of Forest Lake, was last seen on Friday morning when he left a park trailhead on a routine backcountry patrol to another park trailhead.

According to park service reports, the ranger had a radio and cell phone with him but did not contact other park officials Friday night as scheduled or report for work on Saturday. A search for the missing ranger was launched on Saturday and has continued the past several days. Christensen is a 1992 graduate of Forest Lake High School. He has worked as a park ranger the past four seasons and also works as a ski patrol member at the Winter Park ski area. Family members from Forest Lake were reportedly en route to Colorado on Tuesday to join in the search. More than 100 volunteers took part in the search on Monday. Rescue dogs were called in and two helicopters joined in the mountainside search.

As of Tuesday, park officials said they could only speculate as to why the ranger did not check in as planned with park dispatch Friday night. Park officials said it is possible Christensen was attacked by a mountain lion or other wildlife, but also may have fallen. The rangerís backcountry patrol was in the Mummy Range, a remote area with few trails in Rocky Mountain National Park. The elevation in the mountain range is from 10,600 feet to 13,000 feet. Park officials notified Forest Lake police of the missing man on Saturday seeking assistance in attempts to notify Christensenís parents here.

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Forest Lake Times
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