WA WA - Samantha Sayers, 28, Vesper Peak, North Cascades, 1 August 2018

[kgreg2529]

I was reading that mountain lions (I lived in southern Oregon on the coast) don’t usually go for humans, they’re afraid of them but are more likely to go for immobilized people or people “playing dead.” An adult male averages 120-200lbs. I really hope she went out there with some kind of pepper spray or something. I don’t even go grocery shopping without mine!

 

[i'm someone]

I was reading that mountain lions (I lived in southern Oregon on the coast) don’t usually go for humans, they’re afraid of them but are more likely to go for immobilized people or people “playing dead.” An adult male averages 120-200lbs. I really hope she went out there with some kind of pepper spray or something. I don’t even go grocery shopping without mine!

A lot of the hiker videos on Youtube I've seen the hikers only care bear cans if they "have to" and are happy when they don't "have to". There are trails where it's required, and the authorities do check to see if you are carrying it. If she didn't "have to", she probably didn't. MOO

 

[Rhia]

Would it be hard to know what predators are where with all the fires and smoke? Wouldn't they all be mobile in such a situation? I don't know how close all that is to this area. Sorry if that sounds silly. It just crossed my mind.

Actually I think that’s a pretty interesting thought. I don’t think it is silly at all.

 

[GraceG]

I was reading that mountain lions (I lived in southern Oregon on the coast) don’t usually go for humans, they’re afraid of them but are more likely to go for immobilized people or people “playing dead.” An adult male averages 120-200lbs. I really hope she went out there with some kind

Yes, if you encounter a mountain lion it's essential you remain standing and make yourself look as large as you can. I believe she's still up at an alpine altitude, just hidden by rocks. I doubt a mountain lion would be that high up. And I have never seen or heard a coyote on an alpine technical climb/hike.

If she was not abducted (which I believe is fairly improbable compared to injury/fall) I think Sam is smart enough to just stop where she's at and wait to be found. It's usually the unseasoned hikers that just keep walking and walking until they are hopelessly lost and outside of the search area.

 

[Rhia]

If she was injured/immobilized, would she have to deal with coyotes overnight?

This is interesting to...back east here our coyotes are a lot different in that they are larger...ours pack up too to hunt ( we have a cabin in The Allegheny mountains I know this for a fact) I know they are smaller out west and I don’t think they pack up like ours but I could be wrong.

 

[Star_crossed]

so we had one case actually recently in washington where a mountain lion attacked and killed someone (look it up) but the mountain lion was found to have been extremely malnourished and that is why they think the mountain lion attacked them . It’s more likely she fell somewhere and hurt herself pretty badly . It’s been three weeks now so finding her alive would be pretty shocking . Also i have a hard time believing her boyfriend did it . Everyone jumps to the boyfriend, like the mollie tibbetts case . For the boyfriend to kill her he would have had to follow her up there as she was hiking alone and people saw her that day hiking alone . It is weird her cellphone pinged somewhere far but i doubt that someone abducted her and carried her on their back all the way down the hike with no one seeing . Unless she DID make it down and she was about to get in her car and it was late and someone abducted her . but i don’t know i have a feeling they are gonna find she had slipped and fallen and hit her head and/or broken her leg . Maybe an animal did find her after the fact too . making it harder for them to locate her

 

[Star_crossed]

Would it be hard to know what predators are where with all the fires and smoke? Wouldn't they all be mobile in such a situation? I don't know how close all that is to this area. Sorry if that sounds silly. It just crossed my mind.

i live here in Washington and at the time of her hike there was no smoke it only started happening about a week or so ago . Now the smoke has cleared up . Also even though it is smokey it’s not so smokey as to you can’t see

 

[zecats]

Would it be hard to know what predators are where with all the fires and smoke? Wouldn't they all be mobile in such a situation? I don't know how close all that is to this area. Sorry if that sounds silly. It just crossed my mind.

I agree with this thought that smoke would be driving mass numbers of them away from the direction of the fire, any fire. And, no, not silly. I often think of predators since once when we were in Yosemite, there were posters warning not to hike on a certain trail due to hiker being taken by a mountain lion. Always makes me consider where I'm walking.

 

[Star_crossed]

If she was injured/immobilized, would she have to deal with coyotes overnight?

probably not coyotes here but other predators , yes. Black bears also don’t normally attack people . I live here and go camping in the national parks and see black bears a few times . although if you are immobile and vulnerable to them they may . I could
also see a mountain lion attacking if someone was immobile and vulnerable

 

[Star_crossed]

This is why you should never go on a hike by yourself . Even if you are experienced and have done it before . It only takes one wrong step to become hurt and bieng immobile out in the wild like that is very dangerous . Also if you are going to do it alone, be prepared . Bring flare guns, bear mace , first aid kits and enough food and water in case of emergency .

 

[claptrap]

Is there anybody local to the area she is missing? What are the chances for encountering things like grizzlies and mountain lions in this area?

I have lived in WA for 4 1/2 years and have hiked all over the cascades, including the area she's missing in. In over the 20 hikes I've done just this year, 2 right off mountain loop highway 1 as an overnighter, I haven't so much as seen something bigger than a rodent. The danger is out there for sure, but these heavily trafficked trails rarely ever see wildlife.

 

[PaulR]

This is why you should never go on a hike by yourself . Even if you are experienced and have done it before . It only takes one wrong step to become hurt and bieng immobile out in the wild like that is very dangerous . Also if you are going to do it alone, be prepared . Bring flare guns, bear mace , first aid kits and enough food and water in case of emergency .

Flare guns can cause fires, and the last thing you want is the forest burning around you and nobody can rescue you.

Get a SPOT or a similar device, and consider comms like an HT.

 

[FlossyMay]

I just wish I hadn't watched that movie Backcountry on Netflix. That terrified me. I will never go hiking in the wilderness now.

 

[sasha17]

I have lived in WA for 4 1/2 years and have hiked all over the cascades, including the area she's missing in. In over the 20 hikes I've done just this year, 2 right off mountain loop highway 1 as an overnighter, I haven't so much as seen something bigger than a rodent. The danger is out there for sure, but these heavily trafficked trails rarely ever see wildlife.

I agree. I wouldn't be surprised if she was exposed to raccoons or similar critters at night, but that's about it.

My dad has hiked around that area his entire life. I asked him this weekend if he's ever seen a bear up there. He said once, many years ago, and it was very skittish and ran away as soon as it saw my dad's hiking group. The most "wild" wildlife I've personally seen up there in all my time hiking was a family of deer.

 

[Rhia]

I just wish I hadn't watched that movie Backcountry on Netflix. That terrified me. I will never go hiking in the wilderness now.

I haven’t watched that yet...we get black beard at our camp in the Allegheny mountains all the time I have never had an issue...one first year cub refused to leave for three days (freshly kicked out and despite no food out he sat like a stray dog wanting friends) several have come into the city limits past few years and we are quite urban...never had them attacking people or pets...they just want out. Our coyotes in the mountains will pack up and watch...small children and pets...one had their dog taken actually in the suburbs. Lone ones not so much though normally an issue like that. Mountain lions thank goodness we don’t have or grizzlies. Do they have timber rattlelers there? I just had a huge one in our yard last month...that would definitely incompasitate you.

 

[sasha17]

They've collected all of the timestamps people have sent in of questionable things in the drone footage and put it into a single spreadsheet. Click on the names of the clip at the top of the page for the spreadsheet for each one.

#findsamsayers Drone Footage Reports

There's also a website now with maps and a lot of other collected information in one place.

Find Sam Sayers | Resource Center

 

[i'm someone]

They've collected all of the timestamps people have sent in of questionable things in the drone footage and put it into a single spreadsheet. Click on the names of the clip at the top of the page for the spreadsheet for each one.

#findsamsayers Drone Footage Reports

There's also a website now with maps and a lot of other collected information in one place.

Find Sam Sayers | Resource Center

Well that's a relief, because my eyes just can't keep looking at them. I would keep looking though.

 

[i'm someone]

so we had one case actually recently in washington where a mountain lion attacked and killed someone (look it up) but the mountain lion was found to have been extremely malnourished and that is why they think the mountain lion attacked them . It’s more likely she fell somewhere and hurt herself pretty badly . It’s been three weeks now so finding her alive would be pretty shocking . Also i have a hard time believing her boyfriend did it . Everyone jumps to the boyfriend, like the mollie tibbetts case . For the boyfriend to kill her he would have had to follow her up there as she was hiking alone and people saw her that day hiking alone . It is weird her cellphone pinged somewhere far but i doubt that someone abducted her and carried her on their back all the way down the hike with no one seeing . Unless she DID make it down and she was about to get in her car and it was late and someone abducted her . but i don’t know i have a feeling they are gonna find she had slipped and fallen and hit her head and/or broken her leg . Maybe an animal did find her after the fact too . making it harder for them to locate her

I think the drone footage was shot by the bf, and I just don't see a cold hearted person doing that and spending so much solo time searching. As far as the worse case scenario, abduction wouldn't necessarily have to wind up with her ever leaving the mountain, sadly. But I am in the "fell and was immobilized" camp, and I hope it was near water and some kind of sustenance. The drone footage was encouraging, because the drone pilot hovered above what looked like snow melt flowing or a spring and that is pretty important for survival.

 

[claptrap]

Cell phone ping 3 was considered an anomaly, correct? I haven't heard whether or not they've retracted that statement, but according to this map below, it looks like it's in the area of a creek. I wonder if she was exploring & got lost in that area? It also seems to align with the eye witness that said he saw he heading south.

 

[claptrap]

Never mind, I just saw the other map. Cell phone ping 3 was NOT the anomaly.