Re: Hiker missing Bells/Pyramid (elks/aspen)

Cool Hand Luke · Post by **Cool Hand Luke** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 2:36 pm

I have AT&T and have been up the Bells several times; both North and South always had enough service to text from. Most of the time I had enough service to make a call from the summit, but once I descended about 30 yards off the summits service disappears.

Also, distinctly remember the the traverse does not have service for AT&T.

whiskeyzulu · Post by **whiskeyzulu** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 3:09 pm

Got a report at the trailhead from a summiter on south maroon today. Three feet of snow near the top.

Yes, I agree the SAR team team is outstanding.

Jennmartin14 · Post by **Jennmartin14** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 3:51 pm

:-/ lord find him soon

whiskeyzulu · Post by **whiskeyzulu** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 4:34 pm

Question: Dave purchased a camping permit for Silver Bells for Monday night. Did anyone see him or a yellow Big Agness tent with a white fly? Photo reposted here.

whiskeyzulu · Post by **whiskeyzulu** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 4:39 pm

Here is the tent.

MountainRescue Aspen · Sat Sep 24, 2016 6:32 pm

Update: 6/24/16 18:10

Thank you to all the well wishers, information posters, and callers to the Sheriff’s office!

We are requesting specific information in this post :

Day / Date Tuesday September 20, 2016

Timeframe: Morning …8 ish

If you were on or if you know of someone who climbed North Maroon on THIS date (TUESDAY 9/20/16) who may have seen a solo climber who meets the description of the missing climber please call or urge those persons to call the Pitkin County Sheriff’s office at 970-920-5300

Additionally if you climbed or know someone who climbed North Maroon on TUESDAY

Please let us know what and who you saw or heard. So if you saw no one please let us know

Thank you again for all you assistance

bmcqueen · Post by **bmcqueen** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 7:42 pm

I was on summit of S Maroon today. Sent a text to my wife via AT&T which she got. Not three feet of snow up there. More like 3-6" sustained with a few drifts on the route at thigh deep. We kept our eyes peeled for signs of him, but didn't see anything. Visibility was quite poor today though. Hope they find him soon.

bmcqueen · Post by **bmcqueen** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 7:47 pm

tamara wrote:
2) A friend, while praying, felt God gave her a picture of him in a crevasse between two big rocks, with a broken leg, and snow, and a large flat rock overhead. Only God knows...but if this image generates a specific location to someone who has hiked this area, please let us know!

Thanks!

He was definitely not in the chimney section around 13,400 on S Maroon today (only place I saw on S Maroon fitting this description). Has SAR checked the crux on N Maroon? Seems close to this description.

tamara · Post by **tamara** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 8:14 pm

Thank you @bmcqueen! We will find out.

Jennmartin14 · Post by **Jennmartin14** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 9:15 pm

MountainRescue Aspen wrote:Update: 6/24/16 18:10

Thank you to all the well wishers, information posters, and callers to the Sheriff’s office!

We are requesting specific information in this post :

Day / Date Tuesday September 20, 2016

Timeframe: Morning …8 ish

If you were on or if you know of someone who climbed North Maroon on THIS date (TUESDAY 9/20/16) who may have seen a solo climber who meets the description of the missing climber please call or urge those persons to call the Pitkin County Sheriff’s office at 970-920-5300

Additionally if you climbed or know someone who climbed North Maroon on TUESDAY

Please let us know what and who you saw or heard. So if you saw no one please let us know

Thank you again for all you assistance

Would blood hounds or search dogs be beneficial to the search? Time is of the essence...we just want him home & safe!! Thank you for everything!!!

XterraRob · Post by **XterraRob** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 10:38 pm

Is it possible he might have attempted the traverse? I know there are a few cracks closer to North Maroon below the traversing ridge (east side) that a climber may slip and fall in without a way to climb out.

MountainRescue Aspen · Sun Sep 25, 2016 7:44 am

Jennmartin14 wrote:
MountainRescue Aspen wrote:Update: 6/24/16 18:10

Thank you to all the well wishers, information posters, and callers to the Sheriff’s office!

We are requesting specific information in this post :

Day / Date Tuesday September 20, 2016

Timeframe: Morning …8 ish

If you were on or if you know of someone who climbed North Maroon on THIS date (TUESDAY 9/20/16) who may have seen a solo climber who meets the description of the missing climber please call or urge those persons to call the Pitkin County Sheriff’s office at 970-920-5300

Additionally if you climbed or know someone who climbed North Maroon on TUESDAY

Please let us know what and who you saw or heard. So if you saw no one please let us know

Thank you again for all you assistance

Would blood hounds or search dogs be beneficial to the search? Time is of the essence...we just want him home & safe!! Thank you for everything!!!

Thanks to you and others for you ongoing support brainstorming ideas, trip reports. Keep them coming! The smallest of details including "I was out there an saw nothing", help!

We want him home as well

Specific to the question about Dog Teams are the following: The terrain is not dog friendly.

This terrain is class 3, 4 and some 5 and that is on the worn down cleared off, packed down route paths.

These terrain classifications require 3 to 4 points of contact much of the time. Class 5 terrain, while tie in is not requires to scale, the consequences of loosing your grip or footing are very high. And that is all in the best conditions. Move "off route" or chasing a bad cairn and you will quickly find yourself in class 4-5 terrain. "Off Route" the terraces ( some 10"-20" wide) are littered with loose, unconsolidated and untested terrain being held in place by gravity. Where the terrain is not "terraced" one would often be in small, loose, broken, unconsolidated rock pieces, "Poker Chips" with a downward slopping angle of 15-30 degrees (sometimes greater) Movement into and within the "off route" areas on these mountains is not to be taken lightly or without a great deal of suspicion that "it will move or it will not hold" If you are off route and you to not create rockfall or encounter a moving rock you grab or put you foot on, consider it a bonus.

Search dogs investigate smells. They want and are specifically trained to following their noses either trailing (following a ground scent) or Air Scenting (following a scent carried in the air) Typically in a direction away from its origin (Scent cone) Scent cone processes are straight line in nature, the dog wandering side to side , back and forth establish where the scent is and is not. This would not be a safe process out there for the Dog(s), Searcher or other climbers anywhere near the area. This process would likely take the dogs off route trying to follow their nose or establish the boundaries of the scent cone to it's origin. Dogs possibly creating rockfall problems while trying to maintain their footing, cutting or injuring the pads of their feet. in addition to falling down the mountain sides themselves. That's in dry conditions. Add in 3”-10” snow, some ice.

I hope this explains for you and others wondering “some” of the reasons dog teams area not typically used in this terrain