While making his way across the Knife Edge on the way to Capitol Peak, one of Colorado’s most dangerous 14ers, Josiah Jones‘ phone fell and became lodged on the side of a jagged, steep cliffside. When Jones realized what had happened, he made a decision . . . and it wasn’t the decision I would have made. He decided to scale the side of the Knife Edge and retrieve his phone. A camera mounted on his body recorded the brave act, and the video will make you squirm.
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Capitol Peak is a summit within the Rockies’ Elk Mountains range. It has a reputation for being Colorado’s toughest 14er (a peak that rises at least 14,000 feet), thanks in part to the Knife Edge—a jagged-rock edge leading to the summit. And that’s exactly where Jones’ phone dislodged from where he’d cinched it and took a tumble.
[RELATED: Man Taking Photos of Gummy Bears on 14er Accidentally Films Mountain Goat]
After the phone fell, Jones sat there for a moment, talking to his hiking partner. Then he said, “alright,” and swung his leg over the ledge. He retrieved the phone without taking a tumble himself, thankfully. Even though the wide-angle lens makes the edge look narrower than it is in real life, this stretch of the trek has a reputation for a reason.
“My wife was angry,” Jones admits in his Instagram post sharing the footage. “Bonus points on the knife edge retrieving my phone. How in the world it didn’t go all the way down is beyond me.”
Watch the terrifying moment a hiker climbs down the Knife Edge to retrieve his phone here:
Header stock image of Capitol Peak and its “Knife Edge” by robertcicchetti/Getty Images
