For Immediate Release, October 30, 2009
Contact: Adrienne Freeman, 559/565-3131
Search Expands for Missing Hiker
The interagency effort to find Wade Brunette expanded today as teams from around California responded to help aid in the search. Searchers are looking on both sides of the Sierra Nevada crest for the 73-year old man who was last seen Sunday, October 25th on the trail to Mt. Whitney.
Search and rescue personnel (including ground searchers and dog teams) from Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks and rescue teams from Inyo, Mono, Los Angeles, Fresno, Tulare, Sierra Madre, Montrose, and Contra Costa Counties are currently on scene. Helicopters from the National Park Service and the California Highway Patrol are being utilized for aerial searching and for team transport into the remote backcountry area.
Anyone who was in the backcountry area around Whitney Portal, the Mt. Whitney summit, or the areas in Sequoia National Park around Crabtree Meadow or Mt. Russell are asked to contact investigators whether or not they saw someone matching Mr. Brunette’s description.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks: 559/565-3195
Inyo County Sheriff’s Department: 760/878-0383
Cold, windy conditions have hampered initial search efforts. Searching will continue today as weather permits.
-NPS-