Missing Hiker Alert: Bishop Pass/Dusy Basin

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dirtbag

climber

Oct 24, 2016 - 04:11pm PT

Bump

LAhiker

Social climber

Los Angeles

Oct 24, 2016 - 05:50pm PT

Apparently bad weather briefly halted the search yesterday and affected it today:

By Monday, aerial searches were underway for Woodie, who was reported missing Oct. 17 after he failed to return from his trip in the Kings Canyon National Forest. But ground searches were still halted.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-missing-backpacker-woodie-kings-20161024-snap-story.html

Park officials still want to hear from anyone who was in the area:

Park officials have been contacting all hikers who obtained permits to visit the area. But they are now looking to speak with any hiker who was in the area and might have some information about Woodie and conditions at the park, Behrens said.

Anyone with information about Woodie's whereabouts is urged to call the park at (559) 565-3117 or Inyo County Sheriff at (760) 878-0383.

jstan

climber

Oct 24, 2016 - 08:27pm PT

I, also, had a moment on Shepherd's Pass. PT and I had gotten to height of land but ran into blowing snow that quickly erased all signs of the trail. Pretty easy to get lost up there when you can see only a few feet, In minutes we were otta there.

Risk

Mountain climber

Olympia, WA

Oct 24, 2016 - 08:40pm PT

Hope that a Scimitar Pass descent was considered and examined. A small mistake in the boulder fields down low along the creek could be a big deal, but easily overlooked. Standing by.

maverick01

climber

Oct 25, 2016 - 01:06pm PT

Update 10/25

Hi All. I appreciate everyone's weather & condition observations. From weather data and a few JMT hikers going through on the west side, it confirms conditions on Saturday (very high winds and, in the search area, some prcip though not major) and Sunday (serous prcip/snow and extreme winds) west of the crest. Mammoth Mountain anemometer (11,000') showed sustained gusts of over 100mph after 1PM (maxed at 116mph). Because of incoming weather, searchers came out Saturday night but teams will return if conditions allow today or tomorrow. Weather, though, is again going to limit both ground and air search later this week.

I'm unable to post the search maps right now but this has been an incredibly extensive search with very good ground coverage on both the east side and west side of Bishop Pass. Sunday we (NPS) went over each section looking for holes in our search pattern. Areas were identified for follow up. I'll try to get permission to post a coverage map (tracklogs of searchers). It gives a really good visual of what goes into a search. Most of the ground teams are volunteers from a number of California county search and rescue teams who spend countless hours in training in addition to being available to show up with incidents like this occur. Also involved are Yosemite SAR and their helicopter as well as a National Guard Chinook. Darned impressive effort & people involved!

Anyway, thanks to everyone for your continued observations and first-hand accounts. I'll update here as I can.

George Durkee
NPS Sequoia Kings SAR

JEleazarian

Trad climber

Fresno CA

Oct 25, 2016 - 02:03pm PT

I, too, have been following this closely because of the feeling that I, too, am he. I think our "Damascas Road moment" (as Steve so aptly put it) comes at different ages, but it definitely comes. Mine came five years ago when, at age 60, I tore my Achilles tendon in a bouldering fall at the gym. If I can do that in so relatively harmless a spot, what can I do in the middle of nowhere . . .?

I'm still praying for a miracle, but with ever-decreasing hope. My admiration and prayers go out to the searchers and SAR generally.

John

Capt.

climber

some eastside hovel

Oct 25, 2016 - 04:05pm PT

Please, please be a positive outcome on this one. :-/ Thanks to all the involved searchers. Proud work guys.

dirtbag

climber

Oct 26, 2016 - 06:25am PT

Bump

johnr9q

Sport climber

Sacramento, Ca

Oct 26, 2016 - 07:00am PT

Is his car at the trailhead indicating he probably didn't come out?

Larry Nelson

Social climber

Oct 26, 2016 - 07:12am PT

I also hate these type of threads.
This scenario is all of us... but for the grace of God.
Kudos to SAR and prayers for Bob Woodie.

Winemaker

Sport climber

Yakima, WA

Oct 26, 2016 - 08:37am PT

This has finally convinced me to buy an ACR. My wife will sleep easier. Been going out by myself for a long time, always had a return time and my wife knew where I was going, but it's time to step it up a bit. Thanks Reilly, you convinced me. Oddly enough, my biggest concern has always been the thought of choking to death on a bite of apple; I deliberately chew thoroughly.

maverick01

climber

Oct 26, 2016 - 12:20pm PT

Here is the search area map requested from SEKI SAR. http://www.highsierratopix.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=15177&p=113666#p113666

LAhiker

Social climber

Los Angeles

Oct 27, 2016 - 12:01am PT

Is his car at the trailhead indicating he probably didn't come out?

Yes, I believe that his car was found at or near the trailhead. I've heard that it has since been moved to the Inyo SAR Posse hut.

fear

Ice climber

hartford, ct

Oct 27, 2016 - 06:38am PT

Poor guy... does that area tend to receive/retain much snow for the rest of the season?

maverick01

climber

Oct 27, 2016 - 12:10pm PT

Link to the most recently searched areas (10/27).
http://www.highsierratopix.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=15177&p=113697#p113697

StahlBro

Trad climber

San Diego, CA

Oct 27, 2016 - 12:30pm PT

Hoping they find Bob. These situations always make me think of Randy Morgenson.
One wrong step and you can disappear for years. If you are going solo, take the best tracking device you can and know how to use it.

Best wishes to family and friends

Jeremy B.

climber

Northern California

Oct 27, 2016 - 05:07pm PT

One wrong step and you can disappear for years. If you are going solo, take the best tracking device you can and know how to use it.

This is why I disagree with Reilly's PLB suggestion: no tracking points.

Having tracking points should greatly reduce the search effort when someone takes that wrong step. No GPS signal where you push the button? At least one of your previous points should still give similar accuracy to a 406 MHz doppler fix, or you can manually input your coordinates.

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Oct 27, 2016 - 05:17pm PT

If you're too far gone to even push the Help button then previous tracking
points aren't likely to afford you much help by the time they find you.
If you're a mile from your last check point you might get found, but
probably not in time. If you're only 3 miles away then the chances are
exponentially greater you won't be found. The human body is about 15 square
feet. There are more than 25 million square feet in a mile. Unless you're
in a cave an ACR, with 3x the transmitting power of ANY other PLB, is going
to get its signal out. It has 6x the power of some of those others AND it
is dual channel.