[Ski]

Friday August 06, 2021 12:04 PDT Olympic National Park News Release Search Underway for Missing Backpacker 08/06/21 A search is currently underway for a backpacker reported missing on August 5 in Olympic National Park. Cheri Keller is a 56-year-old female from Olympia, Washington and is 5’6” tall, with gray hair. She was wearing a blue shirt and khaki pants with a blue backpack. Keller was last seen by her backpacking group on August 4 around 11:30 am near Home Sweet Home camp, located in the southeastern region of the park. The group of five backpackers had stopped there for water. Keller became separated from the group after they left Home Sweet Home headed for Camp Pleasant. The group waited for her at Camp Pleasant where they had intended to meet for lunch and ended up staying in that location overnight. Two members of the group hiked out to Staircase Thursday morning and reported her missing to park dispatch around 10:00 am. The other members of the group hiked back to First Divide to look for her but were unable to locate her. Keller’s group had a wilderness permit for August 1-5 to hike from the Duckabush trailhead over to Staircase. Search and Rescue personnel hiked into the wilderness from Staircase on Thursday after Keller was reported missing. Two National Park Service search teams are in the field today covering the route from the Duckabush side and from the Staircase side. Additional resources for the search are being coordinated. If you were in the area of First Divide, Upper Duckabush, or Camp Pleasant on August 4 or August 5 or have any information regarding this individual, please call or text the NPS Investigative Services Branch (ISB) Tip Line at 888-653-0009; or online at www.nps.gov/ISB by clicking "Submit a Tip" or by email at nps_isb@nps.gov. Information from other day hikers and backpackers is often extremely valuable during searches. CALL or TEXT the ISB Tip Line 888-653-0009 ONLINE form www.nps.gov/ISB > Submit a Tip EMAIL nps_isb@nps.gov EMERGENCY dial 9-1-1

-NPS-

[RumiDude]

Hoping for a good outcome on this. Rumi

[coldrain108]

Hoping she just got turned around and went back the way they came. Or headed out the Mt Hopper way trail.

[Seattle_Wayne]

Missing 411.

[ChanceShowers]

Is that Mt Hopper Way Trail actually viable? I saw a trip report from July that says it was completely gone. But maybe they missed it and were bushwhacking parallel to it all the way.

[Chief Joseph]

Hoping she is ok. Another important thing that a member here stressed to me while hiking together is to not break the rule of separation.

[Ravenridge22]

Olympic National Park News Release Search Continues for Missing Backpacker 08-07-21 The search continues today for a backpacker reported missing on August 5 in Olympic National Park. Cheri Keller is a 56-year-old female from Olympia, Washington and is 5’6” tall with gray hair. She was wearing a blue shirt, khaki pants and blue trail running shoes with a blue backpack. She also had a yellow synthetic material t-shirt with her that she may be wearing. Keller was last seen by her backpacking group on August 4 around 11:30 am near Home Sweet Home camp where the group of five backpackers had stopped for water. Home Sweet Home is located 12 miles from the North Fork Skokomish Trailhead in the Staircase area of the park. Keller’s group had a wilderness permit for August 1-5 to hike from the Duckabush trailhead over to Staircase. Keller was hiking on her own after the group left Home Sweet Home headed for Camp Pleasant where they intended to meet for lunch. The group waited for Keller at Camp Pleasant but she did not arrive. Members of the group hiked back to the location she was last seen but were unable to locate her. The group stayed in place at Camp Pleasant overnight. On Thursday morning, two members of the group hiked out 6.5 miles to the Staircase area and reported her missing to park dispatch around 10:00 am. The other members of the group hiked back to the area of First Divide and Home Sweet Home again to look for her but were unable to locate her. Search and Rescue personnel hiked into the wilderness from Staircase on Thursday after Keller was reported missing. Two National Park Service (NPS) search teams were in the field Friday covering the route from the Duckabush side and from the Staircase side. An additional team from Olympic Mountain Rescue arrived late Friday afternoon and hiked in to Nine Stream to be in place for today’s search. Today’s operation involved six search teams in the field made up of NPS personnel, Olympic Mountain Rescue, and Tacoma Mountain Rescue; trail containment involving NPS personnel and Mason County Search and Rescue; and assistance from Washington State Search and Rescue Planning Unit and North Cascades National Park. The teams have searched the area on the group’s itinerary from both the Duckabush Trailhead side and the North Fork Skokomish side from Staircase. This includes Upper Duckabush, Home Sweet Home, and First Divide as well as the Mount Hopper area and Marmot Lake area. Any leads or potential sightings will be investigated. Aviation resources have not yet been an option due to the weather and low cloud ceiling. If you were in the area of First Divide, Upper Duckabush, or Camp Pleasant on August 4 or August 5 or have any information regarding this individual, please call or text the NPS Investigative Services Branch (ISB) Tip Line at 888-653-0009; or online at www.nps.gov/ISB by clicking "Submit a Tip" or by email at nps_isb@nps.gov. Information from other day hikers and backpackers is often extremely valuable during searches. ☎ CALL or TEXT the ISB Tip Line 888-653-0009 💻 ONLINE form www.nps.gov/ISB > Submit a Tip 📧 EMAIL nps_isb@nps.gov ⚠ EMERGENCY dial 9-1-1 The photo of Keller was taken at the Duckabush Trailhead at the start of the backpacking trip on August 1.

[timberghost]

Hoping for the best

[Olympic Hiker]

Years ago met a guy that got turned around on a way trail (I think it was an old trail from the O’Neil Expedition) that heads off towards Mt. Steel on the Skokomish side of First Divide. He said it took him about half an hour to realize he wasn’t on the right trail and was able to back track and connect back into the Skokomish trail. Maybe the lost hiker went on this way trail.

[Pyrites]

Found alive, flown out to hospital, per FB page for friends and family.

[car68]

Spotted by King County UH-1 helicopter crew and successfully rescued alive and well late this morning.

[RumiDude]

Good news! Rumi

[Randito]

Thankful for a good outcome. As a King County tax payer, I'm glad to see my tax dollars go toward protecting the lives of those in need, regardless of how they got into trouble, where they are in trouble or what county they live in.

[Ravenridge22]

Lost backpacker found in park after four-day search Reported to be in stable condition Peninsula Daily News Article 08-08-21 By Leah Leach OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — A lost backpacker last seen on Wednesday was found alive and in stable condition Sunday morning after a four-day search for her in the southeast area of Olympic National Park. Cheri Keller, 56, of Olympia, was spotted at 11 a.m. off trail in a basin to the east of Mount Steele by a King County Sheriff’s Office Guardian II helicopter crew, said Penny Wagner, park spokeswoman, in a press release at about 3 p.m. The helicopter landed in the basin and transported her to Sanderson Field Airport in Shelton. From there, she was transported in stable condition by ambulance to Mason County Hospital for evaluation, Wagner said. https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/lost-backpacker-found-in-park/

[Olympic Hiker]

That was my guess, that she took the way trail towards Mt. Steele. I almost thought it was the trail and met someone who did hike it for a ways thinking it was the official Skokomish trail. Hopefully no serious injuries on her part.