We, as well as several other groups are helping ONP with this mission.
Excerpted from Peninsula Daily News June 11, 1997.
Port Angeles- There is still no sign of Chris Wearstler, the young man missing in the Olympic Mountains since the weekend.
Olympic National Park searchers started again this morning, after a second night in camps.
Helicopters flew in food Tuesday night. The number of searchers has increased to about 25, with several dog teams.
Park rangers issued a photograph of Wearstler Tuesday. They asked anyone who has seen him anywhere since June 3 to phone 452-0325.
Wearstler was due back Friday night and was reported overdue late Saturday.
He started his 4 day hike in the upper Elwha River on June 2. He was originally reported due back Saturday from a planned five day hike.
Wearstler has been in Port Angeles for about two years, after moving from his hometown of Gig Harbor.
He plays bass in area bands, including Drunk Jazz Dancers.
He is new to hiking, Park officials said. His experience is limited to one overnighter on the Humes Ranch trail where he began Monday.
For some reason he did not fill out a backcountry permit at the Whiskey Bend Trailhead said Roger Rudolph, assistant superintendant of the Park. The permit would tell searchers which trail he planned to hike and where he planned to go.
Information was instead provided by a friend who dropped him off at the trail. In addition Park employees saw Wearstler at Elk Horn on Tuesday.
Rudolph said permits are intended to determine the number of users of an area. But it is also handy for searchers, he said.
Wearstler's interest in backpacking is new. He apparently had borrowed enough equipment and food for the trip, officials said.
The area he walked into was not especially dangerous, and the weather had been mild.
However, officials said, Wearstlers is inexperienced in navigation and may have gotten lost if he left the trail.
The other threat would be crossing the Elwha River above Elk Horn or swimming in the river which is ice cold and fast this time of year.
There is also a chance he is not in the park at all. Missing hikers sometimes show up a long way from the search area, having hiked out without notifying anyone.
**********************************
As of this evening Chris has not been located and the search is moving farther into the Olympics.
**********************************
Probably the best way for you to get on this mission would be through your organization. Have them contact the DEM in Olympia.
I don't know if they are accepting non-affiliated persons. If you want I will continue to update on this mission.
David Tate
Clallam County Sheriff's Volunteer Search And Rescue
|
Progress report??
by irv.lichtenstein@gecapital.com, 1997, Jun 19
Walked Out
by dlmorris@pop3.concentric.net, 1997, Jun 19
Lucky
by tates@tenforward.com, 1997, Jun 19
map application
by irv.lichtenstein@gecapital.com, 1997, Jun 20
Sound in the woods
by Del Morris, 1997, Jun 22
Electronic SAR
by tates@tenforward.com, 1997, Jul 10
RE: whistles
by David Rollhauser, 1997, Jul 25
