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car68
Out on the skids



Joined: 04 May 2007
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Location: Could be anywhere.
car68
Out on the skids
PostSun Jul 26, 2020 7:16 am 
Anyone see her Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday? https://www.facebook.com/groups/washingtonhikersandclimbers/permalink/3042207009338959/

I'm the guy 911 calls.
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nordique
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nordique
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PostSun Jul 26, 2020 9:29 am 
Sad to see that she has not shown up or been found. Is S&R looking for her?

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car68
Out on the skids



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Location: Could be anywhere.
car68
Out on the skids
PostSun Jul 26, 2020 10:22 am 
Started Wednesday evening. Out in full force since early Thursday.

I'm the guy 911 calls.
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nordique
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nordique
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PostSun Jul 26, 2020 12:52 pm 
Not looking good.

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moonspots
Happy Curmudgeon



Joined: 03 Feb 2007
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moonspots
Happy Curmudgeon
PostMon Jul 27, 2020 11:40 am 
car68 wrote:
Started Wednesday evening. Out in full force since early Thursday.
It's times like this that I wish I could help. I keep watching, waiting to see a positive outcome. May God be with her.

"Out, OUT you demons of Stupidity"! - St Dogbert, patron Saint of Technology
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Anne Elk
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Anne Elk
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PostMon Jul 27, 2020 1:14 pm 
Sounds like a totally crap-tastic slog, lotsa places/ways to get in trouble, especially if alone and not used to serious bushwhack; per last WTA TR: Quartz Creek/Lake Blethen

"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood
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Sculpin
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PostMon Jul 27, 2020 4:05 pm 
In 2012, NWHikers member Navy Salad wrote: "I was planning to do this [Quartz Creek/Lake Blethen] hike yesterday, but the gps directions I was using (from the day hikes series) were seriously in error" I wonder if she just followed the erroneous GPS.

Between every two pines is a doorway to the new world. - John Muir
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Mike Collins
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Mike Collins
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PostMon Jul 27, 2020 4:13 pm 
Anne Elk wrote:
Sounds like a totally crap-tastic slog, lotsa places/ways to get in trouble
That trail is the access to climb both Paperboy and Boomerang peaks. My writeup states "It should be noted that the most dangerous task of the entire day was on the 'trail' which the Forest Service has numbered 1263." When I crossed a deep ravine the rotted out bridge had only one log left which I stated "This crossing is incredibly dangerous." All of our hopes and prayers are that the missing hiker will be found and helped out.

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Bedivere
Why Do Witches Burn?



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Bedivere
Why Do Witches Burn?
PostMon Jul 27, 2020 11:44 pm 
Mike Collins wrote:
Anne Elk wrote:
Sounds like a totally crap-tastic slog, lotsa places/ways to get in trouble
That trail is the access to climb both Paperboy and Boomerang peaks. My writeup states "It should be noted that the most dangerous task of the entire day was on the 'trail' which the Forest Service has numbered 1263." When I crossed a deep ravine the rotted out bridge had only one log left which I stated "This crossing is incredibly dangerous." All of our hopes and prayers are that the missing hiker will be found and helped out.
What maps shows a trail? Are they calling the old road the trail? I was last up there in the late '80s or maybe very early '90s. The FS had put a couple ecology blocks across the road where it met the Taylor River road (which you could still drive up as far as Quartz Creek at that time) but some enterprising person had moved them and seeing as I had driven up that road previously before it was blocked I felt entitled to do it again. We drove as far as we could until the brush just got too thick then walked the rest of the way. Made it to Blethen Lake but tried to follow old road beds on the way back (hoping to avoid bashing as much brush as on the way up) and got way off track. Had to bash several hundred feet straight down the valley side to get back to the road. My memory of the area from back then was that it it was a brushy, slide-aldery hell with a few ancient and overgrown roads scattered about. Real easy place to get lost and if one was to fall it would be difficult for anyone to see you. I can't imagine it's improved any with time. I read somewhere that she'd been up there before and tried (and failed) to reach Lake Blethen and was going back to try again. I hope she's hunkered down somewhere and they find her soon!

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Mike Collins
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Mike Collins
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PostTue Jul 28, 2020 6:12 am 
Bedivere wrote:
Are they calling the old road the trail?
Yes, the old road has morphed into a trail. Here is an informative link. http://www.hikingwithmybrother.com/blethen-lakes-quartz-creek-trail-1263.html

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Dusty Trale
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PostTue Jul 28, 2020 10:45 am 
For a good trip report on the hike to Lake Belthen via the Quartz Creek Trail see whitebark's report from last year on July 26, 2019 for "Quartz Creek, Mid Fork Snoqualmie Area" He gave a detailed report on the trail and didn't have any problem hiking it. Took him 2.5 hours to get to the lake with his dog. Check it out.

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amx
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amx
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PostWed Jul 29, 2020 7:44 pm 
So heartbreaking. We hiked a good portion of the Quartz Creek Trail when we climbed Paperboy earlier this year, and thought at the time that it would be a bad place to get lost or have something go wrong. We hiked Rooster Mountain on Sunday and ran into SAR teams at several points, both while heading up the trail and at the tarns in the saddle below Rooster. We passed a campsite that I'm assuming was hers -- stove was left out in the open with water bottles and a canned beverage chilling in the stream nearby, so clearly the owner didn't think they were going to be gone too long. The trip report mentioned in the previous post makes the trail sound more straightforward than we found it. When we did it in early June we basically followed what looked like roadbed for as long as we could. It was the first time I had hiked this trail, so I can't compare conditions to prior years, but it was overgrown and with plenty of washout activity. We followed the road well beyond its marked end on the USGS topo map and noted three non-trivial water crossings along the way. The first was the infamous washed out bridge (Whitebark's rope is still there, but it's not actually visible from the road. I could totally see another hiker missing the footpath towards it and trying to climb down the bank instead, or worse, attempting the rebar log). The second is what I believe is the waterfall at the turnaround point mentioned in the WTA report from June 20 -- you cross the waterfall on rocky slabs, and then sidehill or veggie belay back up the steep bank on the other side. If you slipped on the slabs or on the bank and didn't catch yourself, you would shoot straight down the waterfall. There is an old rope on the opposite bank, but it is out of reach for shorter hikers, so not much use as a handline. The third obstacle, which was impassible in the conditions we found it, was an even deeper ravine with another steep waterfall. We explored it a bit, but found no sign of a crossing, nor did we see a path continuing beyond this point. This is where we started bushwhacking up to Paperboy. I'm not sure where it is in relation to the junction mentioned in Whitebark's TR, but I really don't remember seeing anything that looked like a road junction or another bootpath before this. Point being, the route-finding difficulties should not be understated on this trail, as there are many opportunities for things to go south. The overgrown roads are confusing to follow, the terrain is steep and brushy, and there are several places where a slip would be very bad. I would be uncomfortable attempting to reach the lakes without GPS and some seriously good beta. Sad all around, my heart goes out to the family. I really hope they find her.

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Randito
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Joined: 27 Jul 2008
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Randito
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PostWed Jul 29, 2020 10:17 pm 
Terrible -- hopefully teams can locate her before she suffers "Inchworm's" unfortunate fate

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Kat
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Kat
Turtle Hiker
PostSun Aug 02, 2020 12:09 pm 
I noticed a GoFundMe has been started to help continue this search. I was wondering if SAR ever posts a map of the quadrants already searched for a missing person?

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Anne Elk
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Joined: 07 Sep 2018
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Anne Elk
BrontosaurusTheorist
PostMon Aug 03, 2020 12:10 pm 
WHC site reports that SAR has suspended foot search, family & friends are continuing. One poster reported that he'd seen her at midafternoon when he was coming down from Rooster Mtn., she said she was going to camp "just before the switchback that heads to Lake Blethen. She said she was going to Blethen on Tuesday morning." SAR did find her camping gear, unclear if it was at this location. As an aside, I have to mention that I always marvel at TRs here from members that go off-trail for accessing high country, alone. I did that once, in the Monte Cristo area, taking a "shortcut". I got into some sketchy territory and then realized the implications. Remember Yana? Some of her TRs were amazing. Hopefully, with the weather having been so warm, this person can still be rescued.

"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood
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