Missing Hiker - SEKI - Gardiner Basin

[jessegooddog]

Inyo Sheriff FB page reports he was located at approximately 12000 feet northwest of Mt Gardiner in Kings Canyon. So sorry for this, thinking of his friends and family.

[SEKI Public Affairs]

Body Found in Kings Canyon National Park

On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 20, searchers discovered a body at approximately 12,000 feet in elevation northwest of Mount Gardiner in Kings Canyon National Park. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and Yosemite National Park staff are in the process of recovering the body. Based on this recent development, the search for missing hiker Gregory Muck has been temporarily suspended pending identification of the body.

[maverick]

Thanks for that update SEKI PA. Seems like he had fallen near the
top of Gardiner Pass East, either trying to get to upper Gardiner Basin
or coming back towards Gardiner Pass.

[SEKI Public Affairs]

Thank you to everyone who helped us distribute information about this missing hiker... Here is information from a news release issued at approximately 10:30 p.m. on August 20.

Missing Hiker’s Body Found in Kings Canyon National Park

A body found by searchers in the area northwest of Mount Gardiner in Kings Canyon National Park on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 20, 2014, has been identified as missing hiker Gregory Muck. Muck appears to have fallen in rocky and steep terrain. The cause of the accident is under investigation. The body was transferred to the Fresno County Coroner’s Office. A ground search team located the body in their assigned search area.

General Info:
Muck, who was from Santa Cruz, California, was hiking alone in the wilderness of Kings Canyon National Park. On August 10, 2014, Muck departed from the Roads End area of Kings Canyon National Park. He planned to hike to Gardiner Basin via Gardiner Pass. After several days in the basin, he planned to hike out Gardiner Creek to the Woods Creek Trail and return to Roads End in Cedar Grove by August 17, 2014. On August 18, 2014, at approximately 8:00 a.m., Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks’ Dispatch Office was notified of the missing hiker via a phone call from Muck’s wife.

Overall Search Staffing:
A total of 71 National Park Service staff and park partners worked on search-and-rescue and recovery operations from August 18-20, 2014. Search efforts were led by Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, with assistance from Yosemite National Park’s Search and Rescue teams, Yosemite’s search dog team—YODOGs, and the California Highway Patrol.

Daily Search Staffing Totals:

August 20, 2014: A total of 61 staff and partners searched by ground and helicopter, conducted interviews, and completed recovery operations.

August 19, 2014: A total of 55 staff and partners searched by ground and helicopter, conducted interviews, and planned for the next day’s operation.

August 18, 2014: A total of 21 parks’ staff searched by ground, conducted interviews, and planned for the next day’s operation. In addition, parks’ staff handled two other search-and-rescue incidents.

Thank you again,

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

[SEKI Public Affairs]

In addition, a big "Thank You" to all who helped provide input and ideas in the search process. Most appreciated!

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

[SSSdave]

Reads like he may have been trying to cross the ridgeline tremding northwest of Mt. Gardiner instead of descending all the way down to 2720 meters via the trail in order to go out Gardiner Pass. The topo lines on the northeast aspect of that ridge looks solid class 3 and above.

http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=36.80956,-118.45987&z=15&t=T" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[cgundersen]

Alpenglow in Gardiner basin

Alpenglow in Gardiner basin

Hi Everyone,
This is a view up toward the connector ridge (on Dave's map) that Greg was probably trying to cross to get to the uppermost part of the Gardiner Lakes basin (this was taken Wednesday night, 8/13, at the lake a bit north and west of the direct climb up to Gardiner Pass). Obviously, from this direction, the climb was not too troublesome looking. We did not get photos of the other side, but I have some old ones that I'll try to find. Very pretty country...........
Cameron

PS. I'm trying to get a TR done, but it'll take a while.

[oleander]

Here is a recent photo of Mount Gardiner taken from the north. The saddle just to its right is Gardiner Pass East, situated along Gardiner's long northwest ridge.

Rated a Class 2, though it looked pretty steep to us.

- Elizabeth

[oleander]

Here's a panorama of the entire northwest ridge, again taken from the north.

Gorgeous country indeed.

[rlown]

ok. I was hoping this thread would be locked by now, but it wasn't. He died (very sad), he was found, and this is not a photo post thread at this point. Great pics but i find them inappropriate at this stage. please lock the thread as it has run it's course.