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Forecast Mormon Grove & Peeley

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

Grasshopper wrote:Spring'11 "Grasshopper Camping/Hiking event" for this same area up and off of FR201 (actually at the .25ml end of FR3348, the Gold Ridge Trail 4x4 road). This turn off of FR201 onto FR3348 is approximately 2.4miles before reaching the Mount Peeley TH. I am now tenatively planning this event for Wed-4/27 to Mon-5/2/11

Thats a great place to car camp....I'll probably be joining you for a few days.

I would be interested in help searching. I have overnight gear and a SxS.

Grasshopper wrote: I'm now planning my first Spring'11 "Grasshopper Camping/Hiking event" for this same area up and off of FR201 (actually at the .25ml end of FR3348, the Gold Ridge Trail 4x4 road).

I'll plan on coming for a day or two. I took a short trip down South Fork Deer Creek last Friday and also went up Pine Butte. The road was clear. Two weeks ago we did the South Fork - Gold Ridge loop.

laztazam wrote:The road was clear. Two weeks ago we did the South Fork - Gold Ridge loop.

Thank you and all that are interested in joining-in for my still to be confirmed 4/27 to 5/2 "Spring'11 "Grasshopper Camping/Hiking event"

I'm still on schedule for a scouting trip on either 3/30 or 3/31 to drive up and check out, take some pics of the proposed campsite area, and report back to hopefully confirm the 4/27 to 5/2 dates. Those that can't drive-in via the 4x4 FR3348 to car camp, I'm hoping will consider a short backpack in to camp for some days/nights of this period.

I might stop in also, thinking about an area I would like to check out.

Yesterday a friend of mine and I decided to check out the road and trail conditions leading to Sheep Mtn. The road conditions were excellent. When we reached the TH there were only two trucks and someone camped at the TH. The owners of the other truck went bear hunting and backpacked into the woods somewhere.
By the time we hit the trail it was close to 10AM and we knew most likely we wouldn't make it to sheep. Trail was dry until reaching the n. side near leading to Peeley summit. There were only a couple of patches of snow but more snow while climbing Peeley. We soon decided to abort climbing Peeley and worked our way around towards the west side and up onto the ridgeline. We reached peak 6840 around 1:25pm, had our lunch and around 2pm decided to head back to the TH.
The way back, we decided to drop down a bit earlier to link up with the divide trail. Encountered only small patches of snow heading down.
I think the conditions are good to begin searching for our Joe again.

Gabriele

@SUN_HIKER
Gabeiele, what type of vehicle were you two driving to the Mount Peeley TH and if a 4-WD, you did not need to engage the 4WD on any section of FR201?

Grasshopper wrote:@SUN_HIKER
Gabeiele, what type of vehicle were you two driving to the Mount Peeley TH and if a 4-WD, you did not need to engage the 4WD on any section of FR201?

I drove my 4WD Expedition and the road was nice and clear all the way.

Gabriele

SUN_HIKER wrote:I think the conditions are good to begin searching for our Joe again.

From my Thurs-3/31/11 "scouting trip", latest road access and trails (on/off trail) conditions as follows:
http://hikearizona.com/TL.php?ID=60711

Grasshopper wrote:4/27 to 5/2 "Spring'11-Grasshopper Camping/Search-Hiking event"

Please see this "official" event now posted here: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6074

Here is a look at my track (blue) from 4/2. The yellow is GPSJoe's last chance route.

What is this, Peeley?

I looked at it again and looks like Sheep Mtn. looking at it from the west side?

Its my actual route from Sat.... up Sheep from NW in blue and GPSJoe's proposed last chance route up Sheep in Yellow.

This just gets more puzzling. That route (yellow) crosses two serious looking potential fall zones. Is the terrain as bad as it looks in this image? All the people who've gone out to Sheep Mtn Summit along the ridge make is seem like that is the best route, not contouring around under and above cliffs and steep slope.

I understand he did the Gowan loop just before his last trip--perhaps trying to add to his Map Area. Does anyone know of any other routes or trails out there that might have attracted him?

@Sredfield
Each route has pros and cons. The ridge is the most direct but is guarded by tough manzanita and other brush. The North side is longer (depending on your route) and has some game trails but is also guarded by cliffs and brush that forces you up or down depending on your climbing ability. There are many potential fall zones on the North side and several rock slides(at least 5 that I can remember) most of which are several hundred feet. The terrain is tough on both the ridge and the North side... so its a toss up. I liked the North side at times but it definitely isn't easier. If I was going to take someone there for the first time, I'd go the ridge route.

Sredfield wrote:I understand he did the Gowan loop just before his last trip--perhaps trying to add to his Map Area.

Just to recap some history: GPSjoe's last hike (from the Mt. Peeley TH) was on Mon-11/8/10. Gabriele and I determined something was wrong one week later on Mon-11/15pm. The "official" TRSAR efforts started on Tues-11/16/10 and continued with Maricopa County Sheriff Mountain Rescue through Sat-11/20.

Joe and I last hiked together on Mon-11/1/10 survey tape marking and completing the Davey Gowan Loop Hike. Correctly navigating the Davey Gowan Trail would be a known challenge and thus an easy sell for me to talk him into joining me. After this 11/1 hike and before Fri-11/5, Gabriele and Joe hiked together a long loop in the Penal Mtns (~Six Shooter TR/Ice House Cyn Tr).

Sredfield wrote:Does anyone know of any other routes or trails out there that might have attracted him?

GPSjoe had previously done all the official trails up and down FR201 and to my knowledge, the only hike attraction still open for him in this area was to successfully summit "Sheep Mountain".

From his personal computer GPS tracks, we determined he attempted this Sheep Mtn Summit effort two times (11/16/09 * & 11/23/09) in from the Mt. Peeley TH over Mt. Peeley to the ridgeline and an additional know two more times (12/04/09 & 4/27/10) in from the Mt. Peeley TH via the Ridgeline route and an additional one time (11/05/10) scouting trip via the MDT23 and in via the north side (this became know to us as the "Last Chance Route") and the last time (on Mon-11/8/10) in from the Mt. Peeley TH via a route to where we know not..
* = This one became known to us as the overnight "bail-out" route via Ravine#7 to connect with the Cornucopia TR back to the Peeley TH;

Thanks, it was just a thought.

Sredfield wrote:Thanks, it was just a thought.

With almost three months of mostly downtime for active searching due to winter conditions in this Mt. Peeley area, I needed to recap some things just to get my mind around some previous "knowns" since that Monday-11/8/10.

All new thoughts by all are most welcomed and thank you!

Every day I change my mind as to what could have possibly happened to my long term hiking buddy gpsjoe. Since we went to so many different places and terrains over the years I thought I knew a little what his mindset would be but then again coming the next day along over the many months I feel I know nothing .
Prior to joe's disappearance he preferred to always go the most direct route. His planner for the 11/08/10 hike looks to me that he thought this would be the best route to avoid brush an the roller coast ridge line that seemed to tire him out in the past. Something went terrible wrong.

I do believe searching for Joe requires to backpack to the Sheep Mtn. area. By backpacking a possible grid search will be realistic. Camping at the TH really doesn't gain much IMO but a couple of days backpacknear Sheep mountain will allow for a more thorough search without having to worry about time.