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-

Wade's daughter, Michelle, has started up a blog, & is posting frequently.

http://searchforwade.blogspot.com/

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wagga
Wade's daughter, Michelle, has started up a blog, & is posting frequently.

http://searchforwade.blogspot.com/

The following is copied from two Friday posts on the family blog:

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The big news today is that they found Wade's pack and ice axe. They first spotted it from a helicopter, then were able to get to it on the ground. An initial search inside turned up his wallet with ID. The pack is now at the base on the other side of the mountain, and at the time that I spoke with the SAR team this afternoon, they didn't have an inventory of its contents. They found it at about noon, and were planning a search with dogs, I can't remember if that was started today or will start tomorrow. There are two dog teams.

The pack was clean and in good condition, and looked like it had been set on the ground, did not slide down the mountain.

The pack was found a bit off the switchback trail that goes down the west side of the mountain, so the concentration of the search tomorrow will be on the west side, though they will continue to search the east side in case he went back up and over the ridge.

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I forgot to say earlier that there were footprints leading away from Wade's pack that they found today.

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They found the body.

That sucks. All the best to his family to deal with this.