High Sierra Topix

Someone here asked about this overdue hiker--Adam.
Here's the story from Sierra Wave:

http://www.sierrawave.net/3253/missing- ... ut-safely/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How do you get separated at Paiute pass? Doesn't even seem possible!

2x on separating at Piute.
BUT you don't know if he went ahead and didn't wait etc. Know your partner. Contingency plans before it happens. Go back to where you were last seen? Agree on where to meet and stick to it. Saves a lot of resources physically and mentally.
Like to know what the story was... Glad he is well though.

I would suggest the news story may not be quite detailed enough and possibly a bit misleading. May have taken a wrong turn at the pass and eventually realized his predicament.

When my son and I were stuck in Tehipite Valley, the news reported we were lost at Wishon Reservoir with no cell phone or GPS. People were commenting the same thing in the opinion portion of the on-line news report. How could anybody get lost at Wishon Reservoir. It got worse though, implying we had no business being in the mountains if we could get lost there. It really brought home for me just how misleading news stories can be in a rush to get the story out.

We weren't at Wishon, we weren't lost, we had a cell phone and a GPS (like those things mattered). A lot of reporters are not knowledgeable regarding the subject matter they are reporting and piece it together best they can in their rush to publish.

Once you top Piute Pass going west there are more than several trails that branch off the "main trail". There is a wide use trail going to Muriel Lake. The old main trail has been rerouted further north to avoid the wet (in early season) lower area but the old one is still obvious even from a distance. In fact I counted several of those older paths a couple of weeks ago. There is an unmarked branch off the "main trail" to Desolation Lake and, I think, one to Golden Trout Lake. I didn't go that far east, but there may be a branch that goes to Puppet Pass.

So, that area wouldn't be too hard to lose your partner if you were not in visual contact.

Every one in my group fish, so getting separated happens a lot. We used to have an occasional problem with some one going ahead and stepping off the trail to fish an area or going around the corner to take a pic. The worst is if you don't know some one ahead has steped off the trail to fish and wait for the group, but doesn't see the group come by. Now the group sets the pace a little faster to regroup while the person fishing keeps fishing thinking the group hasn't come by yet and things get side ways. What I do now is give every one a long florescent orange piece of construction tape and have them tie it off to something on the trail at the place that they go off trail or at a fork. This way everyone gets accounted for and the group sort of stays together. Last man through grabs the tape.
I really emphasize this with the kids we take. If they ever go off trail or go explore away from camp, they are to always leave a marker where they left the trail. We also put it on the trail where we are camped so that the kids don't overshoot the camp and get lost.

I've deer hunted the area quite a bit and we spend most the day separated off trail, I suppose it's more of a case of having your head down and paying no attention to the surrounding area. It is a very basic area and with logical routes.

Not sure whether this was involved or not, but the turnoff for Golden Trout lakes is a V without any kind of sign, and since the spur trail looks just as good as the main trail, it makes me do a double take every time I walk through there.

Of course, paying attention, referring frequently to maps, not going past intersections or leaving the trail until linking up with your partner--those are the sorts of things that avoid these mishaps.

Jimr wrote: A lot of reporters are not knowledgeable regarding the subject matter they are reporting and piece it together best they can in their rush to publish.

I agree, who knows what the real story is here. Just glad to hear he walked out safely.

Jimr wrote: A lot of reporters are not knowledgeable regarding the subject matter they are reporting and piece it together best they can in their rush to publish.

My first clue that this may be the case here is that the picture shown in the article titled "Paiute Pass Area" is not of Paiute Pass at all, it's looking up to Bishop Pass.