Missing hiker in Mazatzals - gpsjoe (Joe Domin)

[Dschur]

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Crews looking for missing hiker
By Alexis Bechman

November 16, 2010
Tonto Rim Search and Rescue volunteers and Gila County Sheriff officers are currently searching for an overdue hiker.

The man, whose name has not been released, was last heard from nine days ago and is believed to be hiking near the Mt. Peeley trail or Sheep Mountain, off Forest Road 201, southwest of Payson.

The Gila County Sheriff’s Office first received a call that the man was overdue Monday, Nov. 15 about 9 p.m.

“The hiker has not been heard from since Nov. 7 and frequents the Mazatzal Mountain Wilderness area,” according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.

The missing hiker’s vehicle was located at the Mt. Peeley trailhead.



Six TRSAR volunteers are currently searching the ground. Earlier Tuesday, a Department of Public Safety Ranger helicopter did an aerial search of the area, but found no signs of the man

[ssk44]

If you are not a strong hiker, or are not sure you are able to tackle a route such as this, PLEASE do not try to attempt this hike.

PLEASE READ!!!

I cannot emphasize the importance of that sentence. DO NOT hike into that area unless you are experienced in rugged off-trail hiking. At the last minute, I was able to do a personal exploration of the search area on Friday. I hiked the entire ridgeline from the summit of Mount Peeley to the summit of Sheep Mountain. I consider that hike to be one of the nastiest routes I have ever taken in terms of horrible bushwhacking and relentless up and down rugged terrain. The primary ridgeline route is manageable, however the north slopes are very severe in places. The south slopes are mostly a jungle of dense manzanita and loose rubble rock. Hiking to the summit of Sheep Mountain is a battle. The last half-mile of roller coaster ridgeline seemed like it was never going to end.

My personal feeling after some to time to gather my thoughts is that all further searching efforts should be heavily focused on the thick overgrown danger areas below bluffs/cliffs and steep gullies along the last half-mile of ridgeline before reaching the summit. Exploring the areas that I have described is potentially dangerous, involves some of the densest brush imaginable, and will suck your energy researves at a rapid rate. This is not a game. DO NOT assist in the search efforts unless you are fully aware of the risks and are prepared to deal with the consequences.

I also want to add that a bail-off attempt from the south/southeast slopes of Sheep Mountain to the Thicket Spring area is starting to look like valid possibility. Stubbornness and adrenaline will only push you so far. Joe wanted this summit bad enough that he would likely push himself beyond his known endurance level. Once you reach your impending nemesis, your body will come down from the rush and crash. Considering his age, it is very possible that tremendous fatigue levels may have forced him to choose an irrational unexplored descent that would eliminate returning across the brutal ridgeline route.

Please continue praying for the involved SAR teams and all others that have joined the efforts. They truly need your prayers. This search has unfortunately evolved into a "needle-in-a-hay-stack" scenario.


Eric

[mazatzal]

If you manage to get into the area today, although that sounds difficult now. The notes above by JuliaChaos, Johnr1 and Eric would be very useful. Despite the thick manzanita on the south eastern slopes of the ridge I still think that is a possible escape route although it would be very difficult due to the vegetation. The slope is not too severe and there isn't too much rocky outcropping.

The only other thought I have is to perhaps cover other trails in the area. But having said that, Hank points out that he and Joe had done everything else near hence the concentration on Sheep ridge.

Richard

[Grasshopper]

Re: Missing hiker in Mazatzals - gpsjoe (Joe Domin)

Postby rlrjamy » Nov 20 2010 4:16 am
For those going out today...Liz(JuliaChaos) and John(Johnr1) notes are very important.

We briefed Hank and Gabriela at the trail head on what we found who will pass it on to SAR

As stated, this above is worth repeating and applies for all who may plan to search this area, IF necessary, ongoing after this weekend..

I've just caught up on this forum threads' many valuable and concerned posts and actions after Gabriel and I spent Fri-11/19 at a short distance in from the Peeley TH. I left the Peeley TH at 6:45pm last night after updates from our HAZ hiking group. Thank you all and please continue posting your thoughts and ideas as SAR is actively monitoring our forum thread!!

This Sat-11/20am, I brought the SAR team coordinator for today's SAR and Mountain Rescue Team up to date as to our HAZ search activities on 11/19.
From my tel-com this morning, here are some planned objectives, subject to change as deemed necessary:
..the canine units will be concentrating on the Cornucopia TR86 and Thicket Springs TR95 down from Peeley TH to McFarland Canyon and more thus we should not have any HAZ/AZH hiking activity in this section for reasons already previously stated in this thread;
..the Mountaineering Rescue professionals will be concentrating on the drops, drainage areas, and gullies off the south and southeast face of Sheep Mountain to Mt. Peeley Summit and the off-trail bushwhack areas to Thicket Springs TR95 (as a possible 11/8pm bailout route Joe may have decided he needed to take);
.. There will be a considerable amount of effort expended today for off-trail in these above noted areas;
.. Also, the off-trail Sheep Mtn Ridgeline approach hike will be done again today;
..It was necessary to close access to FR201 today to support these above, critical SAR activities;

More updates as I receive them from SAR Base Camp where Gabriele and Joe's son are now.

[Ckzona]

I just read this and wow, this is sad but its amazing that all these people want to help and i hope the search teams or anyone finds him soon. I haven't really read anything on dogs, is there any dogs out there. IT makes sense to me to get an article of clothing of his, and get the dogs on a track near his vehicle.

[Grasshopper]

I haven't really read anything on dogs, is there any dogs out there. IT makes sense to me to get an article of clothing of his, and get the dogs on a track near his vehicle.

This was all done a few days ago and the canine units will be in place today for the second full day since this SAR activity started on 11/16.

[Grasshopper]

The only other thought I have is to perhaps cover other trails in the area. But having said that, Hank points out that he and Joe had done everything else near hence the concentration on Sheep ridge.

I also now think that Joe knew that his Mon-11/8 (3rd to 4th) attempt to summit Sheep Mtn would be his last possible window to do so before next Spring-2011due to the impending cold, wet, winter snowy weather soon to dominate this area and make FR201 and the off-trail hiking even less safe and more inaccessible. Thus just another reason for this concentrated search effort on and around Sheep Mountain Summit.

[jdcollard]

well...we found cabel's car...but they were gone already. Lots of boy scouts in the area. Then a gentleman from Payson drove by with a flat tire so we took him & the flat up to Payson...hope there is good news today.

[dround]

@jdcollard
Even by not being able to help on the trails, you helped in a different way just by being in the area.

[Rabid_Pooch]

I haven't really read anything on dogs, is there any dogs out there. IT makes sense to me to get an article of clothing of his, and get the dogs on a track near his vehicle.

As I explained in my previous post , most Arizona trained Search and Rescue Dogs are Wilderness Airscent dogs, NOT TRAILING DOGS. Although most have been introduced to scent discrimination, they are trained to find any human scent (via the air,wind,vegetation and other environmental reasons). There are several reasons for this but the most pertinent being :

1. their main goal to CLEAR LARGE areas of real estate and pick up any human scent (alive or deceased).

2. scent is dependent on air and vegetation and since many areas to be search locally do not have dense/wet vegetation, as much scent won't be left behind on the ground as would for say a dog searching in Oregon (the wet parts of Oregon.) Without vegetation, there is not much for trailing dogsto go on and they lose the scent trail rather quickly.

3. a vehicle left in the wilderness (if one is even found on a search) is not typically a place where a scent article can be located with guarantees that article has not been contaminated.

The areas the dogs work can be several miles squared. This is why "volunteers" should not be in the area as the commander truly has no control over volunteers interfering in such large search areas.

I know many of you think you can be of service, but my dog ***could*** (I lost him to cancer and am no longer a SaR volunteer) pick up scent (alive or deceased) from 1/4 a way. He could completely clear several acres in several hours. As humans hunting and pecking through underbrush looking for clues and footprints..... we are highly disadvantaged against a dog's amazing nose work.

Even if a search is considered a "recovery", the dog's nose still has the advantage to clear large expanses of land.

[Grasshopper]

@Rabid_Pooch
Many thanks for your most informative explanation on the value and use of our AZ- "Wilderness Airscent dogs" and for your previous SAR service. I know that I now have a better appreciation for why these SAR efforts this weekend are so critical to help speed the recovery of one of ours.. :thanx:

[Rabid_Pooch]

Many thanks for your most informative explanation on the value and use of our AZ- "Wilderness Airscent dogs" and for your previous SAR service. I know that I now have a better appreciation for why these

You are welcome Hank. I pray they are successful in locating your "friend".

[Tough_Boots]

Just got back to post our activities today. RachelT and I got to the meet point pretty early and found Cabel and Thoreau who informed us of being shut out of the TH. After thinking more about Randal's suggestion of the Sunflower Mine, we decided to head that way since we could get access and knock that slight suspicion out. Also, its more in our skill set than bushwacking off-trail up drainages around SAR teams that don't want us there. We were out there a few weeks ago and thought we might be able to notice any changes like weakening openings, slides, or items laying about. We hiked up 25A, explored the canyon directly below the processing facility, the facility itself, and the surrounding mines. We also climbed a good ways up the jeep road above the mine area. We were able to keep radio contact with Cabel and Thoreau which was extremely useful. At the end of 25A, we headed up Cornucopia dropping into drainage areas. The drainage areas running parallel to the trail are easy to maneuver but those going east-west are like trying to step through a cage door. If this is any indication of how it is closer to the ridgeline, then be careful folks. We turned around at the northern intersection of Thicket and Cornucopia because the sky looked like it was about to war on us. We saw no SAR in these areas. The sky cleared as we got back to our vehicles making me wish we had stayed out there longer-- but I'm also glad we were able to stay away from where SAR was focusing. I'm sure Cabel and Thoreau will have much to add about this area.

Three points:
1. Thankyou to the SAR crews. Sorry we're getting on your nerves but storms are coming and this is a "needle in a haystack" situation. Most of us have nothing but respect for you.
2. Those going out there, please know your abilities.
3. People are going to do what they're going to do-- especially in situations like this. Postings on internet forums don't usually change that. So can we keep this forum informative instead of people arguing? Information is the best we can offer each other.

[Randal_Schulhauser]

Mike Mattes and I were also in the Sunflower Mine/Cornucopia Mine corridor today, probably 30 minutes behind Tough_Boots and RachelT (yours the red jeep with HAZ sticker parked on FR25A?). Met the Boy Scouts out for a tour. Bushwacked a couple of drainages west and east of the Sunflower Mine. Nothing found of note...

[Tough_Boots]

(yours the red jeep with HAZ sticker parked on FR25A?)

You think a bookseller can afford a sweet vehicle like that? We parked at the 25/25A intersection and hiked in all the way.

[PaleoRob]

No new news...
I am putting in an application for Coconino County SAR because of all this, though. Hopefully if I make the cut, I can truly assist any missing HAZer (or anyone else).
I'll be checking in for more updates - hope they are good...

[nonot]

As I understand it, here is how the events of Saturday 11/20 transpired.

All volunteer personnel were blocked from accessing FR201, supposedly access to 25(A?) also was cut off (somewhere)
Volunteers scrambled to make other plans.
SAR is concentrating on the drainages of Sheep Mtn, they are not searching many other areas (although Hank mentioned dogs doing Thicket Springs area.)
20 mph winds were fairly consistent all day. It seems to me unlikely the tracking dogs (and thus volunteer ban) would succeed. Stronger winds are forecast tomorrow.
When I reached the Peely TH around noon, I observed a total of 8 vehicles, one of which was Hanks, this leads me to believe the total SAR force is between 12 and 20 people. Hardly a HUGE SAR effort. I passed a ninth vehicle being driven by 1 person on FR201. There was ample room at the TH for at least 6-8 additional vehicles.
As of 3:30 PM, nothing had been found by SAR.

I will post my triplog details soon.

(Edited for typos)

[Ckzona]

I haven't really read anything on dogs, is there any dogs out there. IT makes sense to me to get an article of clothing of his, and get the dogs on a track near his vehicle.

As I explained in my previous post , most Arizona trained Search and Rescue Dogs are Wilderness Airscent dogs, NOT TRAILING DOGS. Although most have been introduced to scent discrimination, they are trained to find any human scent (via the air,wind,vegetation and other environmental reasons). There are several reasons for this but the most pertinent being :

1. their main goal to CLEAR LARGE areas of real estate and pick up any human scent (alive or deceased).

2. scent is dependent on air and vegetation and since many areas to be search locally do not have dense/wet vegetation, as much scent won't be left behind on the ground as would for say a dog searching in Oregon (the wet parts of Oregon.) Without vegetation, there is not much for trailing dogsto go on and they lose the scent trail rather quickly.

3. a vehicle left in the wilderness (if one is even found on a search) is not typically a place where a scent article can be located with guarantees that article has not been contaminated.

The areas the dogs work can be several miles squared. This is why "volunteers" should not be in the area as the commander truly has no control over volunteers interfering in such large search areas.

I know many of you think you can be of service, but my dog ***could*** (I lost him to cancer and am no longer a SaR volunteer) pick up scent (alive or deceased) from 1/4 a way. He could completely clear several acres in several hours. As humans hunting and pecking through underbrush looking for clues and footprints..... we are highly disadvantaged against a dog's amazing nose work.

Even if a search is considered a "recovery", the dog's nose still has the advantage to clear large expanses of land.

Thanks for clearing the air. I was just asking because i have seen some some hounds that amazed me with their smell especially the long eared hounds like the bloodhound and black and tan coonhound, and thought it wouldn't surprise me if they found his track especially near his vehicle. Now that i think about it all the people "helping out" really are but could also be ruining the trail for the dogs. Anyway thanks for the response and hope they find him soon.

[Thoreau]

Well, today has been pretty well laid out by all of the folks above. (It was great to meet ya Tough_Boots!) I can't add too much other than the fact that the terrain out there is absolutely brutal, and 'needle in a haystack' truly has new meaning to me after that hike.

I was monitoring SAR's radio activity while out there and heard more than a few teams out there, but can't speak to team sizes. I made out maybe 6 main teams, a dog team, perhaps two teams from TRSAR, etc. but really heard nothing useful. Just a whole lot of 'code 4' reports from teams. My memory is hazy, but I think it was about 12:30-1:00 when the weather started rolling in faster than expected causing teams (and us) to start pulling back.

The latest from ArizonaHikers is that SAR has officially ended all operations at this point as well. Permanently.

I think HAZ (and everyone in the hiking community) should (safely) spend any time they possibly can in the area to help bring this to a closure. It simply can't end here...

[nonot]

Thoreau, can you confirm that tomorrow all volunteers can access the Mt Peeley TH?

[suzaz]

Leaving my house at 5:45am tomorrow. Expect to be at the 201 PeeleyTH between 7:00-7:15 with a few of us.