Discussion Topic |
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Sport climber
moving thru
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Hope this turns out well. Adventures are just that and the outcomes never guaranteed. Peace and safety to all who venture out.
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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I am trying to make sense of the proposed route. On 395, it is about 132 miles from Independence to Bridgeport. Sounds like a long cross country ski trip in the middle of incredibly heavy snowfall. Even ski resorts are closing certain areas for avalanche danger. The article does not give any specifics. Can anyone who has hiked the PCT in summer in this area shed any light?
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there say, all... prayers ... hope it turns out, well, too, lynne...
:(
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Kearsarge to Bridgeport would be........um.......snowy
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10b4me
Social climber
Lida Junction
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His vehicle has not been located
^^^this, and the fact that he was allowing only ten days for the trip in the dead of a very snowy winter. . . . .
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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I would guess it will be easier to find his rental vehicle than to find him.
Kearsarge to the Bridgeport marine base is about 150 miles by trail. That’s a lot of DEEP trail breaking, given recent conditions. Hard to imagine it could be done in just 10 days, especially by a solo skier.
https://heavy.com/news/2019/03/matthew-kraft-missing/
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bajaandy
climber
Escondido, CA
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Don't most rental vehicles have tracking devices? Hoping for the best possible outcome for everyone involved.
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Ikat
Social climber
Carson City
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His rented Jeep was located Friday night "near Independence"**
Doesnt say exactly where but this would be near the Kearsage Pass trailhead that he had given as his start point.
From Kearsage to the Pickel Meadows Marine Base off of Highway 108 would be something like 150 miles of very heavy snow to get through. Incredibly ambitious for a 9 day trip with this winter's snowload.
Worried about the high avalanche potential along that route.
This is where a SPOT comes in handy.
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10b4me
Social climber
Lida Junction
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I wonder how he was planning to get back to his car, from Bridgeport.
Anyway, Inyo SAR, Mono SAR, CHP, YOSAR, and the Marines are involved in the search.
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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^ Probably would be easy to get a ride from someone at the base near Bridgeport, if you'd been able to ski solo all that way. Its pretty hard core, if you can do it.
I'd kind of expect anyone undertaking a trip like that to have some sort of GPS tracking device, like SPOT, Garmin inReach, that would broadcast one's location to someone, at least occasionally. But it's hard to guess the situation here.....
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JOEY.F
Gym climber
It's not rocket surgery
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Mar 10, 2019 - 09:52am PT
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From an article on SF Gate,
Searchers located on Friday night a Jeep that Kraft parked at the start of his trip near Independence, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) south of Bridgeport, Inyo County Sheriff's spokeswoman Carma Roper said Saturday.
It also states he was doing "The Sierra High Route".
Sad irony the quote is from Ms. Roper.
https://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Crews-search-for-Marine-missing-in-California-13676161.php
Hoping for a good outcome.
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Jay S
Mountain climber
Silver Gate, Mt
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Mar 10, 2019 - 10:22am PT
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It sounds to me like Kraft was planning to ski Roper’s High Sierra Route from Kings Canyon to Twin Lakes. To do it in ten days would be next to impossible during big storms. I think he would have realized rather quick the improbability of staying on the “high route” and changed plans to pick an easier route.
Getting over Kearsarge Pass is doable and after that there are multiple bail out points such as Bishop Pass, Piute Pass, Mammoth, Lee Vining etc. or longer western alternatives.
Since he hasn’t shown up yet it lead me to believe he had the unfortunate incident of an avalanche or he is sitting somewhere running low on food and fuel unable to travel do to an injury.
Wishing him the best of luck.
JayS
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WBraun
climber
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Mar 10, 2019 - 12:56pm PT
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The search area is massive.
Like finding a lone person in the ocean ......
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ClimbingOn
Trad climber
NY
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Mar 10, 2019 - 02:36pm PT
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I can pretty much guarantee that this video inspired Mr. Kraft. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZojE9nhR88o Skiing the SHR is certainly a worthy goal. Much like Free Rider may inspire some folks to solo, this video likely has inspired some to attempt skiing the SHR. Obviously skiing the SHR is far more attainable than soloing El Cap, but that doesn't mean that it is without considerable risk.
I've hiked the SHR and the idea of seeing it in winter is certainly alluring. The remoteness, the steepness, and the increased risk from this high-snow year make it a fairly daunting prospect. I hope Mr. Kraft will be found alive and with a good story to share.
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JOEY.F
Gym climber
It's not rocket surgery
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Mar 10, 2019 - 05:01pm PT
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Climbing on, that is a great watch. Thanks. Hopeful for Mr. Kraft.
Sidebar, I’ve never known what The letters SEKI mean.
Edit. Below, Thanks . LongDays.
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LongDays
Mountain climber
Eastside Bivy, Ca
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Mar 10, 2019 - 06:36pm PT
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JoeyF, it is an acronym for SEquoia and KIngs Canyon National Parks. Two adjacent parks, encompassing a large area of the southern Sierra Nevada. Thoughts going out to this young man on an epic adventure in winter season.
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HermitMaster
Social climber
my abode
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Mar 10, 2019 - 07:33pm PT
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I hope they keep looking. Keep looking for tracks. He still has a chance to pop up somewhere.
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TLP
climber
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Mar 11, 2019 - 07:45am PT
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The idea of skiing the length of the Sierra goes way further back than any video. The book High Odyssey (Gene Rose, 1987) recounts the story of Orland Bartholomew, who skied (solo) from Mt Whitney to Yosemite in the winter of 1928-29. An amazing and little known trip.
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Radish
Trad climber
SeKi, California
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Mar 11, 2019 - 10:52am PT
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Sad to read and hoping for the best outcome! It is a very vast area! Fortunately everything is white so hoping he's wearing some contrasting colors there might be some hope in aerial reconnaissance. Would want to know his understanding of the area and experience. He might have got to the top and decided to bail out to Kings Canyon, Cedar Grove where the line of sight to civilization might seem closer. Wishing all the SAR personal the best!
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limpingcrab
Gym climber
Minkler, CA
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Mar 11, 2019 - 01:00pm PT
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I can pretty much guarantee that this video inspired Mr. Kraft Great video!
That's funny that they didn't know the road to Cedar Grove was closed and they walked the 30 miles to Kings Canyon.
Back on topic, it's gonna be a tough search considering a lot of snow has fallen since he was last seen :(
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Mar 11, 2019 - 05:45pm PT
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[Click to View YouTube Video]
The video link that ClimbingOn posted.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
Andrew Bentz held the John Muir Trail "Fastest Known Unsupported Time" until recently,
[Click to View YouTube Video]
checked out the Sierra High Route in advance,
and went with a partner when he skied it in springtime (late April, 2017).
Very different than going solo onsight in the wintertime (February 24, 2019).
I wonder if Matthew Kraft realized this.
[The phrasing here relies on the very unproven assumption that he watched the first video and was inspired by it.]
Sometimes people go solo because they can't find a partner for their project on short notice.
It takes time to develop a network of partners interested in certain types of projects.
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10b4me
Social climber
Lida Junction
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Mar 11, 2019 - 09:52pm PT
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checked out the Sierra High Route in advance,
and went with a partner when he skied it in springtime.
Very different than going solo onsight in the wintertime.
I wonder if Matthew Kraft realized this.
I've been wondering out much experience he had.
VERY poor judgment to attempt this while the storm track was wide open.
Anyone truly competent to attempt it would know that.
I agree.
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Mar 11, 2019 - 11:20pm PT
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The Inyo County Sheriff's Office is now linking to InciWeb for search updates:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6272/
Incident Overview
CENTRAL SIERRA NEVADA, Calif. March 11, 2019 – This is the sixth day of an intense multiagency search for missing Marine Corps 1st Lieutenant Matthew Kraft, a 24 year old man from Washington, Connecticut. 1st Lt. Kraft is 6’1” and 185 pounds.
1st Lt. Kraft’s planned itinerary is the 195-mile Sierra High Route; he is believed to have hiked out of Kearsarge Pass on Feb 24 with a plan of concluding his hike near the Twin Lakes area by Bridgeport, CA on March 4 or 5. Kraft commissioned as a Marine Corps officer on May 6, 2016. He graduated from some of the Marine Corps' most rigorous training including Infantry Officer Course and Winter Mountain Leaders Course.
The Winter Mountain Leaders Course, taught in Bridgeport, possibly inspired too much confidence in Lt. Kraft.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Mar 12, 2019 - 12:08am PT
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hey there, say, clint... man oh man... thanks for sharing the videos...
it helped me see more, of, where this man was, and what he was aiming for...
thank you kunlun_shan, for all the rescue-post, note situation...
prayers for all concerned still...
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Mar 12, 2019 - 08:07am PT
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Cragman. Oh Cragman, where for art thou?
Terrible time of year and weather to do that run solo. I'd wait until late April let things consolodate.
I guess he will pop up with the spring thaw. It would be great to find him hunkered down somewhere but not likely.
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hailman
Trad climber
Ventura, CA
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Mar 12, 2019 - 10:07am PT
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Been following this hoping for a good outcome.....
Is there any chance there's been some mix-up in lingo here?
There is another skier "high route" that traverse the Sierra east-west from either Kearsarge / Shepherd Pass to the Wolverton ski area near Lodgepole on the west side.
To my mind it is simply incomprehensible / beyond superhuman to try skiing Roper's High Route solo and unsupported during a big winter....
EDIT: I hate to speculate on these threads but as a solo traveler in need of rescue your whereabouts must be initially interpreted by family and friends who might not have the best familiarity with the route -- depending of course on how detailed your description to them is.
If he was on the skier "high route" to Wolverton it would narrow the search area considerably.
Although I just can't help fearing he was caught in an avalanche. I was out by Wolverton two weeks ago, it was warm with very wet precip. making for awful conditions.
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bearbnz
Trad climber
East Side, California
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Mar 12, 2019 - 10:40am PT
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Contrast the conditions at Devils Postpile on March 10, 2019 to May 2, 2017 (image taken from around 8:34 in the youtube referenced above).
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Ikat
Social climber
north of here
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Mar 12, 2019 - 11:02am PT
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Hailman
It’s clear from all the news bulletins, including those from the spokesman for the 1st Marine Division that he intended to do the traditional SHR from Kearsarge Pass to Mono Village at Twin Lakes, just west of Bridgeport.
He may have had some famiiliarity with the northern end of the trek as he had been stationed at Pickel Meadows Marine Base for winter warfare training there, which is not far from Twin Lakes.
But yeah, February.
I wonder if he could only get enought time on leave in late Feb instead of April.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Mar 12, 2019 - 11:53am PT
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I can’t imagine getting over Kearsarge Pass alive with all that new snow. Suicide.
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hailman
Trad climber
Ventura, CA
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Mar 12, 2019 - 01:05pm PT
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OK thanks Ikat, I think the spokesman for his division would be a reliable source.
Some of these other "news" sources tend to latch on to stories like these and run wild regardless of having any familiarity with objectives / terrain / experience of party involved, etc.
I agree the timing was not good. That is such a long distance to travel too.
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ClimbingOn
Trad climber
NY
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Mar 12, 2019 - 03:35pm PT
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The SHR goes over 33 significant named passes. A few of them are exceptionally steep and I found myself third and fourth classing some of the time. Keep in mind the majority of the route is off-trail and the passes in particular can be fairly loose/chossy/scree-filled. With the tremendous amount of snow this year an avalanche seems not only possible but likely.
I'm still hoping for a positive outcome but as the days go by it seems less likely. Hoping for a miracle at this point.
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johntp
Trad climber
Punter
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Mar 12, 2019 - 04:04pm PT
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Surely if he was still on the move searchers would have found tracks or some sign of activity.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Mar 12, 2019 - 06:08pm PT
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Marines are pretty gung ho.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Mar 12, 2019 - 06:40pm PT
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Being gung ho doesn’t always translate to good decision making.
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johntp
Trad climber
Punter
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Mar 12, 2019 - 07:06pm PT
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Hoping for a miracle, but facts are facts. Food and fuel for 10-11 days (guessing on this), breaking trail solo in deep snow with high avy conditions. Seven days overdue. No sign of tracks or other indications.
Given the apparent plan he would have to average around 15 miles a day. Apparently he didn't find a way to bail out.
There is no sugar coating it.
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WBraun
climber
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Mar 12, 2019 - 07:10pm PT
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Still, sometimes it happens ...... they survive.
I've seen it happen a few times here when we thought the missing was toast for sure ....
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johntp
Trad climber
Punter
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Mar 12, 2019 - 07:17pm PT
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^^^^
Still, sometimes it happens ...... they survive.
I've seen it happen a few times here when we thought the missing was toast for sure ....
Hope you are right and it all ends well.
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johntp
Trad climber
Punter
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Mar 13, 2019 - 06:13pm PT
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Any news?
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Mar 13, 2019 - 06:28pm PT
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One possible scenario that has him still alive is that he went AWOL; this happens, guys want out of the military and just disappear. Only 5% end up being prosecuted; about 1% serve time. The military does not exert any real effort to hunt such people down, they have so many other problems. I am not saying I think he did this; it's doubtful considering his history. But if a person were going to do such a thing, that would be the time to do it, during a heavy snow storm.
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Mar 13, 2019 - 06:40pm PT
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^ John, am pasting below an excerpt from the most recent info at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6272/, which was current at 3/12/2019, 1:47:37 PM. No new details posted in the last 24 hrs.
Backcountry snow instability and weather issues (including high winds) have been a significant challenge. Both aerial and ground searched have identified avalanche activity, cornices, and snow bridges throughout the wilderness, including along the Sierra High Route. The search zone has been determined to be larger than the State of Rhode Island and consists of the 195-mile Sierra High Route as well as multiple points of potential exit.
In previous days, Inyo SAR was busy with aerial reconnaissance; areas covered included trails and surrounding area near Kearsarge Pass and Onion Valley Road. CHP Inland Division Air Operations assisted. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks performed searches via air along with on the ground in areas that were determined to be safe and accessible in the vicinity of Cedar Grove.
Future plans include inserting Inyo SAR and Mono SAR team members below Kearsarge Pass near Big Pothole Lake. Additional ground searches are also being coordinated by multiple agencies if searchers feel they can be inserted safely- avalanche issues will remain a point of concern.
Interesting that areas near Cedar Grove are being searched, on the west side of the Sierra. And also Big Pothole Lake, just below Kearsarge Pass. There must be some avalanche activity on the steep slope above the lake.
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hailman
Trad climber
Ventura, CA
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Mar 13, 2019 - 11:08pm PT
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The Cedar Grove search area must fall into the "multiple points of potential exit" criterion. From Kearsarge Pass, it's all downhill to Vidette Meadow and then a straight shot all the way down Bubbs Creek to Cedar Grove. No passes in the way along such an exit.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Mar 13, 2019 - 11:22pm PT
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One possible scenario that has him still alive is that he went AWOL
Yeah, it’s also possible that he was abducted by aliens. He’s a Marine officer. 🙄
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Mar 14, 2019 - 03:35am PT
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Pretty Shure the only time marine officers go awol is when they are partying hard and can't make it back to base on time.. When they do return they make amends by arriving with a truck load of beer stolen from the army.
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Chaz
Trad climber
Straight Outta Crafton
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Mar 14, 2019 - 06:13am PT
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A Tour of Duty in Afghanistan or Sierra in full Winter conditions....hmmm....tough choice....but probably far easier to survive Afghanistan for an officer.
I know an Army officer. His Mom says they all want to go to Afghanistan. She says "they like it there" and shakes her head.
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Mar 14, 2019 - 07:00am PT
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Hilarious, Tradman. A Marine buddy would probably agree. This poor guy is probably gone for good. Semper fi.
BAd
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10b4me
Social climber
Lida Junction
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Mar 14, 2019 - 08:53am PT
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Yeah, it’s also possible that he was abducted by aliens.
damn those central 'muricans.
Being gung ho doesn’t always translate to good decision making.
also doesn't mean someone has common sense.
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Ikat
Social climber
north of here
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Mar 14, 2019 - 08:56am PT
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Jeebus -
Lone Pine has a terrific taco truck.
Is there a link?
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enjoimx
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Mar 18, 2019 - 01:17pm PT
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Bump any new info
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Ikat
Social climber
north of here
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Mar 18, 2019 - 01:59pm PT
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On Saturday, March 16 Iniciweb made it’s last active posting announcing they were cutting back the active search and would no longer be posting updates.
They will continue to have SEKI doing intermittent reconnasiance as the weather improves and the snow declines.
They posted a statement “ Search and rescue authorities have been unable to locate evidence of Kraft’s location along his planned route”
They had everyone imaginable flying over the area, including heat-seeking radar that seemed to only pick up animals.
Avy SAR had tracked up to Kearsarge Pass and poked around the avalanches there to no avail. I believe 2 Marines were still going to continue active searching.
I hope the sping will bring news he has been found and bring closure to his familly
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enjoimx
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Mar 18, 2019 - 01:59pm PT
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Damn. What a crazy itinerary
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Ikat
Social climber
north of here
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Mar 18, 2019 - 02:01pm PT
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Conditions looked very good up there when the Avy SAR folks were searching
If Kraft had been able to take his trip a month later he might be regaling everyone with stories of his amazing journey.
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