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DEM #99-1567 July 15, 1999 |
The unit was contacted by the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management at 1:00 P.M. on Thursday, July 15th. Mt. Rainier National Park had requested six mountain Rescue volunteers to meet at the Longmire rangers station as soon as possible. They also requested 12 volunteers per day for both Friday and Saturday.
The search was for a 34-year-old New York man who had been reported missing on a hike to Mt. Rainier on July 8th . Joe Lee Wood Jr. had been in the Puget sound area to attend the Unity99 conference of minority journalists being held in Seattle. He had told his friends that he was going to Mt. Rainier to be alone with his thoughts. When he did not return to his job in New York after the conference, he was reported as a missing person to the New York Police Department. After checking with Seattle Police it was found that he had not checked out of his hotel or returned his rental car. His car was found at the Longmire parking lot with a park entrance receipt dated July 8th on the front seat. This meant that he had been missing for a week before any search was started.
Mr. Woods had never been in Mt. Rainier National Park before, and while he liked short hikes he was mainly a fair weather hiker with no experience in the back country. He was probably dressed in jeans and a light rain jacket and small day pack. The only map he had was the park brochure and a trail sheet. He had a pair of binoculars and was known to be a bird watcher.
He was last seen by another hiker on the Mildred point trail spur off the rampart ridge trail around 4:00 P.M. on July 8th. This hiker informed him that there was a dangerous creek crossing another five minutes up the trail Joe told him that he would go that far because he had about enough.
Though a call out was made on Thursday, we were unable to have any members respond. Another call out was made on Thursday evening for Friday four members responded they were: Alan Givotovsky, Russ Brinton, Marcus Collins and Bill Weber. The Bill and Russ meet at the cache at 4:30 A.M. while Marcus and Alan meet them at the Longmire Ranger Station. While Bill stayed at base with the truck Alan, Russ and Marcus were assigned to go up the Wonder land trail from Longmire to the 3400-foot level and then go cross country and bushwhack their way to the base of the Rampart Ridge cliffs and then follow the base of the cliffs to the Rampart Ridge trail and then back to Longmire. They found no signs or clues of the subject. While Alan and Marcus stayed at the park Russ and Bill returned to Tacoma.
Another call out was made on Friday night and seven members responded they were John Kirkman, Fran McFarland, Joe Rushinko, Stan and Anglea Kartes, Marcus Donaldson and Bill Weber. They met at the Cache at 5:00 A.M. and some met at the Longmire ranger station at 7:00 A.M. After a briefing by park rangers they were assigned to split into two teams.
A team consisting of Alan, Marcus, Anglea, John and a park ranger named Tom Weston departed from the Comet Falls trailhead. The climbed up the trail to a plateau and then and searched a wide area below the falls. The second team consisting of Stan, Marcus D.,Joe and Fran and a couple of park rangers climbed above the falls and searched a ridge line up to Van Trump Park. They then searched the ridge lines on both sides of Van Trump Park and the top of Comet Falls. They all returned to Longmire around 4:00 P.M.
Another call out was made Saturday evening and only one team member responded. Chris Berryman went up to that park Sunday and help the park rangers search around the Rampart Ridge portion of the trail.
Besides Tacoma Mountain Rescue there were also members of the Seatttle and Olympic and Everett Mountain Rescue Teams that were involved in this search. After an intensive four day search Mr. Woods had not been found as of the writing of this article. He is the third Hiker/Climber that has become lost on Mt. Rainier this year that is still missing.
Tacoma Mountain Rescue |
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