Air Force professor found stranded on cliff after 2 days


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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — An Air Force Academy professor who went missing for two days while on a hike is recovering after he got injured and stranded on a cliff face in Colorado.

Rescuers found Lt. Col. Dave Richie with a leg or ankle injury Tuesday after using signals from his cellphone to narrow the search area. Because of the rugged, steep terrain, an Air National Guard Blackhawk was used to hoist Richie off the cliff in the Sawatch Range about 150 miles southwest of Denver.

Academy spokesman John Van Winkle told The Gazette of Colorado Springs (http://bit.ly/1LGXjN2 ) that the 43-year-old astronautics professor was "injured, but talkative" after the rescue. It's unclear what led to his injury.

Richie, an experienced hiker, was reported missing after he failed to turn up for a separate hike with academy staffers Monday.

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