Sam Dubal
MISSING NPF
Initial Report
Sam Dubal was reported missing on October 12, 2020, when he failed to return from an overnight hike. Dr. Dubal was last known to have gone on a hike on October 9, 2020, and was expected to return the next day, October 10, 2020. His hiking route was on the Mother Mountain Loop, and to leave Mount Rainier National Park through the Mowich Lake Trailhead.
The search for University of Washington anthropology professor Sam Dubal, who has been missing since Oct. 9 when he embarked on a 17-mile overnight hike on Mount Rainier in Washington state, has ended after a 15-day intensive search, according to his family.
However,
The Mount Rainier National Park Service did not release a report confirming that it had ended the search for Dubal.
On Oct. 9, Dubal began his hike in the Mowich Lake area of Mount Rainier, an area that includes rugged, remote wilderness, according to the Park Service. He was supposed to return from the 17-mile loop trail the following day, but did not. Dubal’s family reported him missing Oct. 12.
A portion of the trail Dubal was hiking involved crossing over a small bridge on the Carbon River, which washed away Oct. 10.
After the Mount Rainier National Park Service announced it was stopping its search Oct. 23, Dubal’s family began an online petition implored park rangers to continue their search for the next 72 hours. The family noted that Sam Dubal is an experienced outdoorsman capable of managing the brutal weather and could have survived for two to three weeks with the type of gear he was carrying.
The Park Service resumed its search on Oct. 25. Mount Rainier National Park Service spokeswoman Patti Wold told India-West in an earlier interview that a search and rescue team, involving as many as 50 professionals, scoured every bit of the terrain Dubal had expected to pass through, according to his itinerary. Rangers employed drones, Forward Looking Infrared heat detection cameras from the air, helicopters, and canines.
Weather conditions have made it difficult for on the ground search and rescue as well as helicopters.
https://missingnpf.com/listing/a-water-bottle-thought-to-belong-to-sam-dubal-was-found-10-13-20/
Update 1
According to the National Park Service,
On Tuesday, October 13, 2020, poor weather kept air crews grounded, but 19 park rangers and 6 Mountain Rescue volunteers continued the search on foot. A distinctive water bottle, believed to belong to Dubal, was found along the trail that afternoon, but did not lead to any further discoveries. In addition, a team from Seattle Mountain Rescue used an aerial drone to explore a hard-to-reach section of old trail along the Carbon River.
https://missingnpf.com/listing/better-weather-permits-arial-search-tactics-for-sam-dubal-10-14-20/
Update 2
According to the [URL='https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/news/search-continues-for-missing-hiker-sam-dubal.htm']National Park Service,
With better weather on Wednesday afternoon, October 14, 2020, a helicopter was able to join the search, with 12 NPS rangers, 15 Mountain Rescue volunteers, and 3 search dogs provided by Washington Mountain Rescue on the ground.
Search Continues for Sam Dubal (10/15/20)
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Update 3
On October 15, 2020, a Bell 407 helicopter was used to fly searchers into the field to maximize search time during a window of good weather, and then continued to explore from the air. Eighteen NPS rangers were joined by 14 Mountain Rescue volunteers including a dog team, two drone teams, and a 4x4 team searching private forest lands outside the park boundary. A 10-person team of Pierce County Explorer Search and Rescue (ESAR) volunteers assisted as well.
Search Efforts Continue for Sam Dubal, Despite Challenging Weather Conditions (10/16/20)
Update 4
Today’s weather (October 16, 2020) has deteriorated, with lowering clouds and winds up to 50 MPH that prevented air operations. Teams also experienced low visibility and driving rain. Ten NPS rangers were joined by nine Mountain Rescue volunteers and two teams from Washington German Shepherd Search Dogs. Members of the Washington State Search and Rescue Planning Unit have provided assistance throughout the week as well. NPS trail crews, meanwhile, worked throughout the day to restore a trail bridge over the lower Carbon River, which washed out in heavy rain early in the week, in order to allow searchers easier access to search zones in that area.
Searchers intend to take full advantage, tomorrow, of a final day of good weather before another storm forecast for Sunday, with large numbers of people on the ground and hopefully in the air as well.
The primary search area has been defined by the 17-mile Mother Mountain Loop trail, with teams increasingly branching off to explore spur trails leading higher on Mount Rainier and river drainages leading off it. The terrain includes rugged, remote wilderness, with dense forests at elevations from 2,000 to 5,000 feet and exposed subalpine meadows blanketed with fresh autumn snowfall above it. Rangers are coordinating the search with the Washington State Emergency Operations Center and other state and local resources, who are providing highly skilled rescuers trained to search in hazardous conditions and poor weather.
https://missingnpf.com/listing/mother-mountain-loop/
Significant Location
