desert dweller
Trail Wise!
Power to the Peaceful...Hate does not create.
Posts: 6,291 
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Post by desert dweller on Oct 21, 2016 20:30:32 GMT -8
Thanks for the update, mav.
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Post by johntpenca on Oct 22, 2016 13:36:52 GMT -8
SEKI SAR is requesting anyone who was in the area, at an altitude of 8000' or above, to please chime in on the conditions you experienced on Sat (15th) and/or Sun (16th). Were the conditions windy, was there a wind chill, did your exposed skin get numb, how long did it take you to start to shiver if you were lightly dressed? Visibility, wind speed estimate and direction are all questions they need answers to, as soon as possible. If you have info please chime into this thread which they are monitoring, thanks. www.highsierratopix.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=15177 |
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Post by johntpenca on Oct 23, 2016 10:37:32 GMT -8
SEKI SAR has now added 4 dog teams to the search for Mr. Woodie, Looks like it has now become a recovery operation. He has now been missing for 7 days. No other news that I can find.
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Post by CompassRds on Oct 23, 2016 11:44:17 GMT -8
Sad news if it is, johntpenca , but glad you are keeping us up to date. |
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Oct 25, 2016 12:02:59 GMT -8
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Post by johntpenca on Oct 25, 2016 12:58:53 GMT -8
Post from SEKI SAR"
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
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mav
Trail Wise!
Posts: 33
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Post by mav on Oct 26, 2016 11:31:50 GMT -8
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mav
Trail Wise!
Posts: 33
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Post by mav on Oct 27, 2016 11:07:03 GMT -8
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mav
Trail Wise!
Posts: 33
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Post by mav on Oct 28, 2016 15:46:30 GMT -8
SEKI NPS:
Search for Missing Hiker Robert “Bob” Woodie Scaled Back
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Calif. -- After more than a week of searching for hiker Robert “Bob” Woodie, the mission has been put on hold due to a series of incoming winter storms forecasted for over the next week. All search teams were taken out of the field Wednesday afternoon in anticipation of the significant weather event, which is forecasted to bring two to three feet of snow at elevations above 8,000 feet and high winds, with gusts up to 75 mph.
“We’ve completed very thorough ground and aerial searches in very difficult terrain over the last nine days, but the storms would put our search teams at risk and decrease our ability to find clues,” explained Rich Browne, incident commander for the search. “When it clears, we’ll reassess, but it does look like weather and snow coverage will end our ability to continue active ground and aerial search operations.”
The suspension of an active field search moves the operation into what is called “limited continuous,” which may include air searches, backcountry patrols, and outreach to hikers heading into the area. The operation will be upgraded to an active search if any leads about or whereabouts of Mr. Woodie are discovered. Additionally, the Incident Management Team continues to evaluate data collected by field teams while investigators continue to follow up on leads.
The itinerary for Mr. Woodie, a 74-year-old resident of Manhattan Beach, CA, was a four-day backpacking and fishing trip between Thursday, October 13 and Sunday, October 16. An experienced hiker who knew the area, he parked his vehicle at the South Lake trailhead in Inyo National Forest and hiked over Bishop Pass into Kings Canyon National Park. An “OK” check-in message was sent from his satellite GPS device on Saturday evening from the Barrett Lakes area. A winter storm that night and next day brought very high winds, overnight temperatures to below freezing, and snow to some areas above 10,500 feet. When Mr. Woodie did not return from his trip, his family notified authorities.
The National Park Service continues to ask the public to contact officials at 559-565-3195 if they were in the search area between Thursday, October 13 and Thursday, October 20. The 26-square-mile search area within Kings Canyon National Park consists of Bishop Pass, Dusy Basin, Barrett Lakes, and the John Muir Trail/Pacific Crest Trail between Muir Pass and Mather Pass. The area is a high sierra alpine environment, between approximately 8,000 and 12,000 feet elevation. The rugged terrain includes areas of forest, alpine lakes, and areas above tree line with talus slopes and rocky mountain passes.
Over 130 personnel have worked on this multi-agency operation within Kings Canyon National Park. They include Yosemite National Park (YOSAR, including YODOGS, and Helicopter 551), L.A. County Sheriff’s Department (with Sierra Madre Search and Rescue), and Fresno County Sheriff’s Department, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department, California Office of Emergency Services, China Lake Search and Rescue, National Weather Service’s Hanford field office, USGS, and U.S. Forest Service.
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desert dweller
Trail Wise!
Power to the Peaceful...Hate does not create.
Posts: 6,291
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Post by desert dweller on Oct 28, 2016 16:06:20 GMT -8
Thanks again for the update, mav.
Doesn't look for for Mr. Woodie.
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Post by johntpenca on Oct 28, 2016 16:23:29 GMT -8
Don't mean to be negative, it looks like it is over. If the dog teams could not find him. he is toast.. RIP and condolences to family and friends. I know this is a harsh post, but such is the reality of playing solo in the woods. My guess is he got disoriented or took an alternate route to try to get out of the situation. SAR can't find him. Massive effort has been expended by verv experienced people. If YOSAR was involved, the best in the US were there.
Thank you to all the SAR groups.
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toejam
Trail Wise!
Hiking to raise awareness
Posts: 1,795
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Post by toejam on Oct 28, 2016 17:51:40 GMT -8
He apparently had a Spot and didn't activate it. Sad story.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Oct 30, 2016 14:12:15 GMT -8
He apparently had a Spot and didn't activate it. Sad story. But his last activation did give them a better fix on a last known position (Barrett Lakes) than had he not had the unit. |
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Roger
Trail Wise!
Posts: 200
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Post by Roger on Oct 30, 2016 14:53:33 GMT -8
Given he had a satellite communication device such as a SPOT and no further communication has been received makes me favor a sudden event such as a fall or cardiac event. I can always hope I am wrong but that is what the evidence suggest to me.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Oct 30, 2016 16:21:13 GMT -8
I won't "like" your post Roger, but I agree with your conclusion. My prayers go out to his family and friends.
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Image Credit / Coolkat
