[pct-l] PCT Thru-Hiker Missing in Glacier Peak Wilderness

[Wes]

Thanks Sam. It's nice having a local response.WesSam Willson wrote:If the thru hikers are going the original route of the PCT,you might ask them to be especially vigilant looking forLucky in the following places north of Red Pass.  There are4 creek crossings: White Chuck, Baekos, Chetwok, Sitcum andKennedy (the worst).  With the recent rains these may be more treacherous. A particularly bad spot is immediately below Fire Creek Passand above Mica Lake. When I was there, there was a very steepand icy snowfield there, which even turned Ray Jardine around.Any area that has steep icy snow might become a problem in this cooler weather. Parts of the trail above Milk Creek, and coming down off VistaRidge are very steep and in places the tread is eroded andminimal.  Hopefully you will get this message without all theextra letters being inserted!  Sam Willson wrote: I have talk to the Darrington Ranger district 2 times now. TheSearch and Rescue is being overwhelmed by calls. They have already conducted a number of recent search and rescues thisweek, and have very little personnel, she asks us not to callunless we have new information. There is a full-fledged Searchand Rescue under way ("We are all over this"), Helicopters arestanding by and waiting for enough visibility. A description hasbeen sent to a person on Miners Ridge to sit lookout on the PCTon that side.  A second person is on the original PCT at Milk creek - so that both PCT branches are being watched for Lucky.The N. F Sauk road is closed at Bedal, this closure is 7.3 milesfrom the N. Fork Sauk Creek trailhead that Lucky would have descended if he went that way.  I have been down this trail many times, and it goes DOWN for 8 miles, levels out for 2. I find itdifficult to believe that a thru hiker with a data book would notrealize that he is not on the PCT. Even if he did go that way, itis 17 miles to the Mountain Loop Highway and he would have beensomewhere by now. There are SAR crews that have already startedfrom multiple trailheads and multiple directions. They are doingeverything they can and fully realize that this is not a false alarm.  I can see that there is blue sky over the Sauk River andover Darrington, and the sky is clearing to the west. There are still clouds at about 5,000 feet over the mountains to the east.We all hope for a clearing before nightfall.  The best you coulddo is get new information from any thru hikers arriving there inStehekin. My prayers are with you all, and of course, Lucky.