Found Alive OR - Nathan Mitchell, 34, Wildwood Recreation Area, Mount Hood, 21 Oct 2017

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JerseyGirl

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Nathan Mitchell, 34, was planning a day hike but did not return. His car was found in the area, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said.

Mitchell is 5-foot-8 and 130 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark blue/gray plaid Pendleton wool shirt, black Columbia rain jacket, brown Columbia hiking boots and a black backpack.

636443099645703758-nathan-mitchell-2-1508716147974-11454753-ver1.0.jpg


http://www.statesmanjournal.com/sto...ing-hiker-wildwood-recreation-area/789489001/
 
Hello: Our friend has gone missing in the Wildwood Wilderness area of Clackamas County, Oregon (Near Mt Hood area). Last seen Saturday night:

http://koin.com/2017/10/22/missing-man-last-seen-in-wildwood-area/

http://katu.com/news/local/hiker-goes-missing-near-mt-hood-natl-forest

Nate.jpg

From the article, his car was found Saturday and he had not returned from a hike. There was a lot of heavy rain over the weekend. The area he was planning to go in is relatively flat, but I’ve been told that there is a connecting trail to a very rugged area nearby.

It is difficult to think right now and I am pressed for time, but I just wanted to get the word out. There are searchers on the ground today. We hope he is found safe.

Thanks for reading this.
 
MountainWaveSAR has displayed photos and updates from the search yesterday and today on their Twitter page. Yesterday they had 3 K9 teams, several 4x4's in addition to the search team.

DMyS9jhV4AAYkBT.jpg
 
Ohhh, very sad to see this....as an avid hiker I always feel for those who who enjoy the outdoors as well.
Hope very much there's an explanation for why he did not return....may he be found safe and ok.
Maybe an injury and waiting for help?

Moonstone, is he your friend?
 
Is he an experienced hiker? Would he know what to do if he got lost in bad weather?
 
@moonstone I will be praying your friend is found safe and soon!
 
fellow hiker here who doesn't pray but is certainly sending my positive energy out there that Nathan is found safe soon! Conditions don't sound ideal, so time is of the essence. Virtual support going out to those with boots on the ground for this young man.
 
Koshka said:
Is he an experienced hiker? Would he know what to do if he got lost in bad weather?
Click to expand...

I think so. From what I know he has done a fair share of backpacking. But I have not heard how well and if he was equipped with any survival type gear. We hope so.

He had sent a text inviting my S.O. to go Chantarelle mushroom picking that day. It was sent well before we normally wake up on the weekend.
 
flute4peace said:
@moonstone I will be praying your friend is found safe and soon!
Click to expand...

Thank you Flute, and everyone. I am sending prayers to "Nate" as well. He has a very wide circle of close friends, and I pray for them and his family/loved ones as well.
 
Here is an updated video which confirms his hiking experience, describes an 8-week hiking goal he had, gives quotes from his father, and shows the terrain.

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/missing/search-continues-for-missing-hiker-in-wildwood-recreation-area/485229783

Another video here showing his car that LE had to break into to get clothing for the search dogs to smell, and showing the Salmon River that is adjacent to the trail area:
http://katu.com/news/local/search-continues-for-missing-hiker-near-mt-hood-national-forest
 
From moonstone's link:

The trial attorney from Portland went on a hike Saturday when a powerful weather system moved into the area.
His family found his car around 1 a.m. Sunday at the Wildwood Recreation Site just off Highway 26.
Mitchell's father says Nathan is an experienced hiker who grew up learning about the outdoors.
“You teach your kids how to go out in the woods and how to appreciate nature,” said Charles Mitchell. “And the flip side of that is nature is pretty unforgiving sometimes. And anybody can get hurt. I hike these trails all the time and it’s a dangerous thing to do unprepared.”


There are some clues from Instagram. Mitchell posted five pictures Saturday, apparently during the hike. Rescue teams have figured out the exact location of at least one of the photos.
Mitchell's father says it’s not unusual for his son to hike alone.
“He hikes alone all the time. What’s unusual is for the storm to come in and for him to be unprepared for a lot of the aftermath of that,” he said.

So he's experienced.....
I hope the photo locations help in locating him...safe.
 
what kind of storm was it? heavy rain?
 
The news stations were calling it a "river in the sky".

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/10/17/rare-5000-mile-long-river-in-the-sky-to-bombard-pacific-northwest-with-heavy-rain-and-snow/?utm_term=.0f7bc1ad662e

Basically there was a week or so of heavy rain, on and off.

I don't know what actually transpired in the Mt Hood area, but it looks like the Welches area got 1.34" of rain on Saturday.
https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KTTD/2017/10/21/DailyHistory.html?req_city=&req_state=&req_statename=&reqdb.zip=&reqdb.magic=&reqdb.wmo=
 
I wonder whether Jesse is in the habit of carrying capsaicin spray or any kind of wildlife deterrent. Hiking alone, I'd think so right?
 
Dozens of people including search and rescue teams and a military helicopter spent Monday looking for him on Mount Hood. They will be back out again Tuesday morning. A request was made through the Office of Emergency Management for a statewide callout. This will help coordinate additional resources from all over the state.

Currently the search area is approximately 40 square miles which includes areas of danger to include water crossings, cliffs and steep slopes in the Salmon Huckleberry Wilderness. The topography of the area has caused complications with communications equipment.

During the search yesterday, there were 38 ground searchers which included search and rescue canine teams. The 38 ground personnel canvased varied terrain within the search area and covered an average of 15 miles each. The Oregon Army National Guard deployed a search helicopter. The helicopter searched for approximately 8 hours. As of 11:00 pm last night there was still a team of searchers in the field looking for Mitchell.

Searchers were able to identify the locations where Mitchell took the photos he sent to friends. They also found a rain cover from Mitchell’s backpack. This rain cover was located approximately 5 miles from his car.

http://www.kxl.com/search-continues-missing-hiker-near-mt-hood/
 
Hoping that the searchers' ability to recognize the places he'd been and his experience as a hiker will all help to bring him safely home.
 
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