Crime & Safety

Woodstock Native Dies In Colorado

The body of Matthew D. Burklow was discovered on Tuesday on Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park.

A Woodstock native living in Colorado died earlier this week in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The body of Matthew D. Burklow, 25, was discovered Tuesday afternoon roughly 1,000 feet below the Keyhole Route, down the Trough area of the mountain, according to the Coloradoan

According to a press release from the Rocky Mountain National Park, rangers on Tuesday, June 10 were notified that Burklow, who lived in Ft. Collins, Colo., was overdue from the Long Peaks area in the park.

Burklow left around 2 a.m. Monday from Ft. Collins and was expected to arrive at work at 4 p.m. that same day. 

Rangers in the area located Burklow's body at around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. However, inclement weather conditions prevented rangers from recovering Burklow's body until Thursday, the Coloradoan reported

No official cause of death has been released. 

Burklow's father, Kent Burklow of Towne Lake, confirmed his son's passing with Patch Friday morning. 

Find out what's happening in Woodstock-Towne Lakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"He apparently left on Monday morning without the proper gear, as this trail is not normally a technical trail, which had no gear requirements," he stated. "He got caught in an apparently unexpected ice and freezing rain event for which he was not prepared."

Burklow attended Etowah High School, graduated from Cherokee Christian School in 2008 and attended Middle Tennessee State University, his father stated. 

Find out what's happening in Woodstock-Towne Lakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Burklow also said son, who was a nationally certified pharmacy technician, was in the process of transferring to Colorado State University in Ft. Collins where he had been living since October. 

Matthew Burklow was an avid hiker, rock climber and had recently trained in ice climbing, his father stated. In 2012, he completed the entirety of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, which encompasses over 2,400 miles.

Burklow is survived by wife, Haley Newlon Burklow; parents, Page & Kent Burklow of Towne Lake; and his brother and wife, Jon and Jen Burklow of Marietta. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Woodstock-Towne Lake