Even people from Colorado don't realize how arid it is here on the dry side of the Rockies. They fail to bring adequate water, they fail to bring adequate clothing for hot days and cold night, and they fail to look out for rattlesnakes and bears. Or they plan well enough and slip on a loose rock and go over a cliff. Usually they're found in a week or two. This fellow just took a little longer.

Country is rugged and since it's such a poor state, trails are mostly unimproved. And nobody from elsewhere ever seems to pack in enough water or a way to purify what little water is here.

Killed by a wild goose? Chase that is.

Or far more fictional if not yet determined.