The Rainbow Lakes, west of Nederland in Roosevelt National Forest, are considered some of the most peacefully majestic terrain in Colorado. But they turned into a freak show Saturday, when a 44-year-old Berthoud man and a 32-year-old Fort Collins woman were confronted by a man wearing a black bandanna over his face, an olive-colored T-shirt, camouflage-print shorts, and black boots as he waved a rifle.

The man fired a shot and then tied the couple to trees, Boulder County authorities tell The Denver Post. The incident occurred around 6 p.m., after the couple parked along the 38000 block of Peak to Peak Highway in Nederland and began hiking west. The kidnapped man managed to free himself and ran to a populated area, where he called for help. The assailant released the woman, who was found later by deputies at the vehicle.

The incident caused a stir at the campground, which was evacuated.

“All of a sudden, we see all these flashlights come on up, and the police have all their heavy machine guns and all that. They asked us if we knew what was going on. They just told us there was this guy running loose with a gun. They told us to keep a watch out,” camper Jason Carruth tells 9News.