Gardener1850
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Found Deceased CA - Robert Woodie, 74, Kings Canyon National Park, 13 Oct 2016
- Thread starter Gardener1850
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Treelights
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"Two helicopters and 20 field personnel participated in park search operations today, with operations planned for Thursday, October, 20, 2016."
​http://yubanet.com/regional/missing...the-wilderness-of-kings-canyon-national-park/
​http://yubanet.com/regional/missing...the-wilderness-of-kings-canyon-national-park/
ms_x_to_the_m
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Oh no. I hope he didn't suffer some kind of medical emergency.
I hope he's found soon.
I hope he's found soon.
There's one road to South Lake and only a couple of parking areas. They didn't mention his car being found, though it's possible that he parked in Bishop and hitchhiked up to South Lake.
If he's in Dusy Basin, he should be easy to find. There's one trail and few trees. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
Possible difficulties would be altitude (I got very sick), terrain (the trail is smooth except for going over Bishop Pass, and there are peaks that are good day hikes in the area) and weather (freezing overnight). I hope he's found ok.
If he's in Dusy Basin, he should be easy to find. There's one trail and few trees. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
Possible difficulties would be altitude (I got very sick), terrain (the trail is smooth except for going over Bishop Pass, and there are peaks that are good day hikes in the area) and weather (freezing overnight). I hope he's found ok.
Hatfield
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It sounds nice. You mentioned you had gotten sick . Was that from altitude poisoning?
If so, can you describe the symptoms you got as I have always wondered what happens when people get that.
Suglo
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I just notified my sister and daughter who are up in this area hiking since Tuesday. They were not able to hike a lot of the trails they wanted to because of the amount of snow. It is starting to melt now though. I hope they find him safe soon.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yes, altitude sickness. It was my first time above 8,000ft(?). Symptoms started as a headache. Then nausea and hallucinations (I could swear I could hear children playing as if at a playground). Slept for 12 hours and I was fine (in retrospect, my companions should have taken me down to a lower altitude to acclimate).
I have a memory of walking by a lake that was so clear that you could see trout swimming 20ft below the surface.
The trail from South Lake to the Dusy basin is a strenuous hike over a 12,000 ft pass but the trail is well maintained. If the snow was bad enough, he may have had trouble getting out but he should be easy to find. If he went on to Barretts basin, it is very rough country with no trail. Attempting to return to Dusy basin from Barretts basin in the snow would be extremely dangerous.
It is remarkable that someone at 74 would feel confident enough to attempt this trip alone in October but it was pretty risky. If he did go into Barrett's basin, I would call it foolhardy.
Hopefully he had the good sense to stay put and make himself visible. I am concerned, however, that this will not end well.
It is remarkable that someone at 74 would feel confident enough to attempt this trip alone in October but it was pretty risky. If he did go into Barrett's basin, I would call it foolhardy.
Hopefully he had the good sense to stay put and make himself visible. I am concerned, however, that this will not end well.
Gardener1850
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Gardener1850
Timeline Guru (Still Remembering Cupcake)
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Gardener1850
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They haven't even found his car? I wonder if the initial report of a ping from his electronic satellite device (handheld gps?) was him signaling for help?
Nothing about the car that I can find.
With 3 feet of snow expected it doesn't look good
I can't find any information about his car. It should have been at South Lake. That is the Trail Head for Bishop Pass and Dusy Basin. If it isn't there, all bets are off, but I'm guessing it is/was there.
Woodie is 74 but obviously he was a confident backpacker. Had he just gone into Dusy Basin, or stayed on the trail into LeConte Canyon he should have been able to get out on his own even with the snow he would have encountered Oct. 15th. If he suffered an injury or had a medical emergency, he would probably have been found since that is where the Search and Rescue folks would have looked.
If he went into the Barnets lake area, everything becomes much more difficult. There is no fixed trail, just a passable route over a gap in the mountains. Off trail routes are far more dangerous than fixed trails because there is a much greater chance of suffering an injury on loose, irregular rocks and if you are injured, you will not be easily found since you won't be on a set route.
According to his satellite GPS device, he made to Barnets Basin before the storm hit. If he tried to get out Sunday Oct. 16 in bad weather, he probably ran into serious trouble. The dangers of off trail trail hiking are far greater in snow when you can not see the rocks under the snow you are stepping on. If he was injured and could not make it to the trail in Dusy Basin, he would have been very vulnerable. There would be little means of setting up shelter and if he got wet in those conditions, he would have died of hypothermia rather quickly.
Realistically, as you age, you become less agile and it becomes harder recover your balance if you slip or fall. Your bones are more brittle and susceptible to breakage and you don't have the same stamina you had when you were younger.
It seems like Woodie was an experienced hiker and far stronger than most men his age but he took a serious risk when he went off trail. I'm 7 years younger than him and I am a little in awe of his ability to go where he went; I would have never tried, but he may have pushed his luck a bit too far.
Woodie is 74 but obviously he was a confident backpacker. Had he just gone into Dusy Basin, or stayed on the trail into LeConte Canyon he should have been able to get out on his own even with the snow he would have encountered Oct. 15th. If he suffered an injury or had a medical emergency, he would probably have been found since that is where the Search and Rescue folks would have looked.
If he went into the Barnets lake area, everything becomes much more difficult. There is no fixed trail, just a passable route over a gap in the mountains. Off trail routes are far more dangerous than fixed trails because there is a much greater chance of suffering an injury on loose, irregular rocks and if you are injured, you will not be easily found since you won't be on a set route.
According to his satellite GPS device, he made to Barnets Basin before the storm hit. If he tried to get out Sunday Oct. 16 in bad weather, he probably ran into serious trouble. The dangers of off trail trail hiking are far greater in snow when you can not see the rocks under the snow you are stepping on. If he was injured and could not make it to the trail in Dusy Basin, he would have been very vulnerable. There would be little means of setting up shelter and if he got wet in those conditions, he would have died of hypothermia rather quickly.
Realistically, as you age, you become less agile and it becomes harder recover your balance if you slip or fall. Your bones are more brittle and susceptible to breakage and you don't have the same stamina you had when you were younger.
It seems like Woodie was an experienced hiker and far stronger than most men his age but he took a serious risk when he went off trail. I'm 7 years younger than him and I am a little in awe of his ability to go where he went; I would have never tried, but he may have pushed his luck a bit too far.
OkieGranny
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Last news was December 29:
http://tbrnews.com/in-review-missing-persons/article_baf26102-cd5c-11e6-830d-9fed9ddfc8fa.html
http://tbrnews.com/in-review-missing-persons/article_baf26102-cd5c-11e6-830d-9fed9ddfc8fa.html
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