Found Deceased CO - Micah Tice, 20, hiker, Rocky Mountain Natl Park, Longs Peak Trailhead, USAFA Cadet, 22 Nov 2018

[JerseyGirl]

Cadet Candidate Micah Tice was last seen Thanksgiving night.

Tice told his sponsor family he was going to work on homework on Thursday night and maybe take a hike on Friday. Tice also called his parents, who live in Nevada, on Friday. Investigators tracked his phone signal near Woodman Avenue and Interstate 25 in Colorado Springs.

His vehicle was found at the Longs Peak Trailhead Monday afternoon.

The weather was poor on the mountain on Saturday with “significant snow accumulation, extremely high winds and bitter cold temperatures.”

Crews Begin Search For Missing Air Force Academy Cadet On Longs Peak

 

[cybervampira]

Update on search efforts for missing man in RMNP

Beginning at sunrise Tuesday, Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) Search and Rescue Team members searched sections of the Longs Peak Trail, as well as sections of the Boulder Field to the Keyhole area and the trail to Chasm Lake for Micah Tice. According to a recent RMNP press release, searchers encountered deep snow and high winds.

Assisting RMNP Search and Rescue Team members Tuesday included Summit County Search and Rescue Dog Team, a Colorado NationalGuard helicopter and crew and Alpine Rescue Team members. The Colorado National Guard helicopter conducted an initial aerial reconnaissance, however the flight was curtailed due to wind gusts over 90 mph on Longs Peak.

[...]

 

[cybervampira]

Search crews did not locate missing USAFA Cadet Candidate first day out

Patterson noted that the crews will be back searching for Tice starting at Wednesday morning.

 

[cybervampira]

Rocky Mountain National Park

Beginning at sunrise today, Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team members searched sections of the Longs Peak Trail, as well as sections of the Boulder Field to the Keyhole area and the trail to Chasm Lake for Micah Tice. kp
Search Efforts Today For Micah Tice In Longs Peak Area - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

 

[zecats]

Search crews did not locate missing USAFA Cadet Candidate first day out

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Vast area to search. There are a couple crisscrossing trails there as described in Chasm Lake Trail. One goes off to a mine shortly after leaving the parking area at Longs Peak Trailhead. I can't even fathom how difficult this must be as well as challenging for SAR. Kudos to them all.

 

[zecats]

MISSING: Cadet candidate who reportedly went hiking on Longs Peak

So this source says he talked to his parents Friday night, was going to do school work and then hike on Saturday.
ETA "Micah Tice, 20, who attends the United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School, last contacted his parents on Friday at about 9 p.m. He reportedly told them he was going to do some schoolwork and possibly take a hike on Saturday. His phone signal was last received on Saturday near Woodmen and I-25, and he failed to show up to class Monday morning."

And the weather was bad there on Saturday? So why would he hike in that? Or is this incorrect and the other version is accurate where he planned to hike Friday?

 

[Miss Saigon]

Interview with Mom: Air Force Academy seeks missing cadet candidate

 

[Miss Saigon]

The Mom says they are hoping to find a helicopter with heat detecting FLIR technology. Just wondering why Air Force Academy has a hard time getting that pronto?

 

[zecats]

Interview with Mom: Air Force Academy seeks missing cadet candidate

Now this report says the weather was bad on Sunday instead of Saturday. Sigh...

 

[Mysti88c]

Now this report says the weather was bad on Sunday instead of Saturday. Sigh...

Here in Denver, the weather turned abruptly from nice and sunny to extremely windy and cold with blowing snow Saturday evening around 5 and continued into Sunday morning. It got better during the day Sunday. Obviously, things get worse in the mountains sooner than here, but it probably followed a similar pattern

 

[not.a.muggle]

The Mom says they are hoping to find a helicopter with heat detecting FLIR technology. Just wondering why Air Force Academy has a hard time getting that pronto?

Would that even work at this point? Not that they wouldn’t try, but I’m imagining a frozen body (sorry). Genuinely curious about the technology.

 

[zecats]

Weather on Saturday report Longs Peak.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/patch....341/search-begins-missing-man-near-longs-peak

eTA. Tice’s planned destination and route are unknown. Saturday's weather on Longs was very cold, with high winds and significant snow accumulation.

 

[zecats]

Recent update from his mom

Air Force Cadet candidate from Las Vegas reported missing in Rocky Mountain National Park

Reported to have named Longs Peak as a hike he wanted to do while in Colorado.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Searchers “encountered deep snow and high winds” as they looked for Tice on sections of the Longs Peak Trail, sections of the Boulder Field to the Keyhole area and the trail to Chasm Lake.

A Colorado National Guard helicopter “conducted an initial aerial reconnaissance,” but was forced to stop because winds were gusting at more than 90 mph.

Search for missing Air Force Academy cadet candidate begins in Longs Peak area

 

[carbuff]

Here in Denver, the weather turned abruptly from nice and sunny to extremely windy and cold with blowing snow Saturday evening around 5 and continued into Sunday morning. It got better during the day Sunday. Obviously, things get worse in the mountains sooner than here, but it probably followed a similar pattern

Okay, that kind of sounds like he might have thought he could finish the hike before the bad weather moved in. Not being from the area, he might not have realized that the high mountains usually have more severe conditions than the valley.

Not that Colo Spgs is exactly a valley. But relatively speaking.

 

[Miss Saigon]

Would that even work at this point? Not that they wouldn’t try, but I’m imagining a frozen body (sorry). Genuinely curious about the technology.

More info from the Mom today:
Janice Young Tice
Hoping he really had all that gear with him. If so, I’m holding out hope.

 

[carbuff]

Oh wow, that does hold out hope. Fingers crossed!

 

[cybervampira]

Here’s MSM on mom‘s information:

Crews continue the search for missing AFA cadet candidate on Longs Peak

His mom, Janice Young Tice, says she recently learned Micah purchased survival tools like a life straw, tools to make a fire in snow and medical supplies for self-administered first-aid.

Tice also says Wednesday she learned Micah had researched the weather before attempting the hike.

 

[Mercedes]

More info from the Mom today:
Janice Young Tice
Hoping he really had all that gear with him. If so, I’m holding out hope.

Wow! You must say that this young cadet tried to prepare for a cold, snowy hike. I just hope his plans are successful.

 

[zecats]

Wow! You must say that this young cadet tried to prepare for a cold, snowy hike. I just hope his plans are successful.

Yes it seems he did try to prepare for the weather. But I wonder how long he was planning to hike. I believe he told Mom that he was going to hike on Saturday (just for the day?) and he missed classes Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday break so apparently he got into some difficulty along his route. I hope he had enough gear and supplies with him to last these 4-5 days. Or longer most likely.