Hiker missing on Mt. Baldy - Frank Carl Patane

[SkyIslandHiker]

UPDATED: Authorities searching for missing hiker on Mount Baldy

Three canine search teams, eight Apache County Sheriff’s deputies and five sheriff’s posse members (about 25 people) were searching Mount Baldy Wednesday morning (Aug. 17) for hiker Frank Carl Patane, 60, of Tucson, who has been missing on the mountain since Thursday, Aug. 11.

Patane is described as Caucasian, 5-foot 7inches tall weighing about 150-155 pounds.

Read the full story at...
source: http://www.wmicentral.com/news/latest_n ... 002e0.html

[chumley]

Elizabeth's grapevine report is in line with published news articles. Fair-use excerpt below:

The remains ... were found earlier this month by three White Mountain Apache tribe members when they were out scouting for antlers....
There was a severe monsoon storm that day, and ... [he] had probably become disoriented in the heavy fog blanketing Mt. Baldy. He ended up following a drainage ditch rather than the trail, which is how he ended up so far from his intended destination.
[He] didn’t have a GPS system with him because he didn’t think he’d need one...
“This is a good lesson for other hikers,” said Shaffer. “Don’t hike alone and take a GPS with you.”

source: http://www.wmicentral.com/news_premium/ ... 963f4.html

[whereveriroam]

Thanks, that's an eye-opener. I'm not a fan of GPS but do have one. I never use it except to mark my vehicles location on occasion. I think after reading about this unhappy ending I'll mark my vehicles location on most of my solo hikes. I wonder if the deceased had anything useful with him that could've changed the outcome or was he another ultralight hiker.