Official INYO-SEKI SAR / Overdue Hiker (Resolved)

Use this forum to stay informed on missing persons alerts, active SAR's and unfortunate hiker accidents we can all hopefully learn from. Any information you may have on a missing person, including first hand weather related information or any other insight (however little) may prove to be critical information to Law Enforcement / SAR in locating the person in question.
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maverick
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10/21 Flyer on Robert Woodie

Post by maverick »

New information from this flyer is that he was planning to fish Barrett Lakes.
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SEKI Update 10/21

Post by maverick »

SEKI NP:
CONTACT: Zach Behrens, 559-565-3131 (o) or 559-679-2866 (c)

Search Continues for Missing Hiker Robert “Bob” Woodie

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Calif. -- As the search for Robert “Bob” Woodie continues, park officials are requesting that any hiker who was in the search area since Thursday, October 13, 2016, to reach out with information.

“Even if they do not think they saw Mr. Woodie, information about where he wasn't seen is also very important in directing our search efforts,” explained Rich Browne, Incident Commander for the search and rescue operation. “All information is helpful to our investigation. We currently have over 60 personnel and 2 helicopters assigned to the search incident.”

The search area consists of Bishop Pass, Dusy Basin, Barrett Lakes, and the John Muir Trail/Pacific Crest Trail for the length of Le Conte Canyon. 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.

Mr. Woodie was reported missing after not returning from a four-day backpacking trip into the wilderness of Kings Canyon National Park. His intended route of travel may have been from South Lake, outside Bishop, CA, into the park via Bishop Pass starting on Thursday, October 13, 2016. He was possibly at Barrett Lakes, southeast of Dusy Basin, on the evening of Saturday, October 15, 2016, based on an electronic check-in message received from his satellite message device. The area experienced some inclement weather during this timeframe, with some areas above about 10,500 ft receiving snow. Overnight temperatures continue to be below freezing.

Mr. Woodie, a 74-year-old from Manhattan Beach, CA, is an experienced hiker who is familiar with the area. He is caucasian with brown hair and brown eyes and is 5’5” and around 150 pounds. He was possibly carrying a blue shell type jacket, baseball cap or floppy hat, and boots. He is reported to have an internal frame backpack, possibly blue in color.

This search and rescue incident is being coordinated with the Inyo County Sheriff’s Department, which is simultaneously performing search operations adjacent to the park boundary within Inyo National Forest. Yosemite Search and Rescue and Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team are assisting in the operation within Kings Canyon National Park.
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Re: INYO-SEKI SAR / Overdue Hiker Search in Progress

Post by rlown »

Gonna ask a question. Why isn't Seki Public affairs posting updates here?
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Re: INYO-SEKI SAR / Overdue Hiker Search in Progress

Post by maverick »

Gonna ask a question. Why isn't Seki Public affairs posting updates here?
They sent a copy to me Russ prior to posting it to the public, and then I posted it onto all the other sites. :)
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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SEKI SAR Request 10/22

Post by maverick »

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 and/or Sun. 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.
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Re: INYO-SEKI SAR / Overdue Hiker Search in Progress

Post by ironmike »

Was exiting Blackcap Basin on that Saturday, and camped that night at Post Corral. Rain started around 6:30pm and continued off and on all night long and into the following day (when we hiked out wet to the Maxson trailhead at Courtright). Temps were mild at Post Corral Saturday night but gradually got cooler into the low 40's. Same with winds: light early Saturday night but picked up through the night and Sunday felt quite breezy and cool with light layers on. I know this is at least 15-20k away from Mr. Woodie's position but the weather was quite unexpected according to my meteorologist backpacking companion. We had anecdotal evidence that conditions were even worse (colder/windier) closer to the crest.
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Re: INYO-SEKI SAR / Overdue Hiker Search in Progress

Post by maverick »

Thank you Mike for chiming in with that info.
Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer

I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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SEKI Update 10/22

Post by maverick »

SEKI NP:
Hi. Just a quick note. We are continuing the search and rescue for 74-year-old Robert "Bob" Woodie of Manhattan Beach, CA, in the wilderness of Kings Canyon National Park. Four dog teams from Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) are currently assisting our field teams.

Photos and b-roll of the dogs can be found here, along with some new photos from the field to give you a sense of some of the terrain the teams are searching: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nps_seki/ ... ertwoodie/

Our priority messaging for the public at this time is to get hikers who were in the search area since Thursday, October 13 to call us at 559-565-3117. Even someone who did not see Mr. Woodie is a helpful clue for our investigation. That helps us understand where he may have not been at a certain time. The search area includes Bishop Pass, Dusy Basin, Barrett Lakes, and the John Muir Trail/Pacific Crest Trail in LeConte Canyon.

Thank you for your help getting the word out!
Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer

I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Parchers Resort Contact

Post by maverick »

We have someone trying to contact the owners, they closed down on the 18th, so they experinced the storm at 9290'. If you have any way of contacting them, please inquire about the weather conditions requested by SAR in the previous post and post that info here.
Thank you.
Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer

I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Re: INYO-SEKI SAR / Overdue Hiker Search in Progress

Post by LAhiker »

On Saturday, Oct 15th, two guys in Meetup group did a day hike in the South Lake/Bishop Pass Trail area from ~7:30am to 3pm. (They went to Chocolate Lakes.) Here are some pictures from their hike:
http://www.meetup.com/Bishop-Mountain-A ... /27348450/

From clothing and other clues, it can be seen that during their hike, it was chilly, breezy at times (note ripples on water), and partly cloudy with lots of sun. In the caption on the first picture, one of the hikers says there was a 40 degree difference between the temps on their hike and those in Bishop. But they report no sign of the weather worsening during their hike.

(One of the guys has been volunteering on the search with Inyo SAR, so he's already in touch with them.)
Last edited by LAhiker on Sun Oct 23, 2016 11:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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