Mt Whitney Webcam
Mt Williamson Webcam
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 155 guests, and 16 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
#28377 10/09/12 09:45 AM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,251
Likes: 1
wagga Offline OP
OP Offline
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,251
Likes: 1
Details in the Merced Sun-Star.

"Six dog teams and the park's helicopter, in addition to rangers on horseback and foot, began searching for Jessica Rose Garcia after she didn't show up for her 9 a.m. Saturday shift at the Wawona Hotel."


Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
wagga #28380 10/09/12 10:52 AM
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
Offline
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
Man you over sleep and don't show up to your shift and they send the dogs after you! Tough job. ;)

Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
wagga #28382 10/09/12 02:33 PM
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 80
S
Offline
S
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 80
found alive and safe:
merced sun star

Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
smithb #28383 10/09/12 03:16 PM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
S
Offline
S
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
Whoa! Her Saturday afternoon hike turned into a 3-night adventure!

Glad they found her.

Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
Steve C #28385 10/09/12 03:57 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 849
Likes: 3
Offline
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 849
Likes: 3
Wondering if she is still employed.


Journey well...
Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
+ @ti2d #28388 10/09/12 06:02 PM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
Offline
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
"Missing Yosemite Employee Found

By KSEE News
October 9, 2012 Updated Oct 9, 2012 at 4:18 PM PDT

(Press Release) Jessica Garcia, an employee of DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc., has been located alive after she was reported missing when she did not show up for work at the Wawona Hotel on Sunday, October 7, 2012. Garcia was found at about 1:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon by a member of the Yosemite National Park Search and Rescue Team less than two miles up the South Fork Drainage of the Merced River in the southern portion of Yosemite National Park. She was hiking off-trail in this rugged area of the park. She will be transported to a local hospital for a medical evaluation"

Odd. If that "less than 2 miles" is measured from Wawona, she wasn't exactly in the back country. Residences and Camp Wawona are farther up the drainage than that.


Wherever you go, there you are.
SPOTMe!
Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
saltydog #28397 10/09/12 10:56 PM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
S
Offline
S
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
> If that "less than 2 miles" is measured from Wawona, she wasn't exactly in the back country.

On the other hand, if she really was about 2 miles up from the main Merced River, then she travelled at least 15 miles through mostly a untamed canyon.

Here's the interactive topo map starting at Wawona. ( map ) If you follow the South Fork, you can see mile markers and rugged territory.


Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
Steve C #28400 10/10/12 05:33 AM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
Offline
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
If that's the case, she covered over 20 miles, off trail for much of it. On the other hand, the Hite Cove trail and road covers the lower 6+ miles down to 140.

Either way, its a pretty odd tale. Also raises the question of why the news outlets don't follow up a little. Walter Cronkite was right about local news.

Also now turns out that she was in very rough shape: broken leg and pelvis. [url=http://www.modbee.com/2012/10/08/2406409/yosemite-search-team-looking-for.html]Story[/url]

Last edited by saltydog; 10/10/12 07:03 AM.

Wherever you go, there you are.
SPOTMe!
Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
saltydog #28401 10/10/12 07:20 AM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
Offline
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
I just got a very courteous reply from the Bee reporter covering this story, clarifying that Jessica was found less than two miles upstream from where she was last seen (Wawona), and that she will be following up with the family. I took the liberty of conveying best wishes to Jessica and her family through her.


Wherever you go, there you are.
SPOTMe!
Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
saltydog #28402 10/10/12 08:05 AM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
S
Offline
S
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
Thanks for following up, saltydog. She must have slipped and fallen off some where.

Looking at the map, she was probably less than a mile from the nearest of those cabins up the south fork.

Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
Steve C #28404 10/10/12 12:35 PM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
Offline
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
Latest on Jessica directly from the Mod Bee:

"Hello again.
I have spoken with Jessica's family. The good news is that she continues to recuperate and is getting medical attention. Unfortunately, it appears her injuries are more extensive than it sounded like yesterday. And I have not yet learned most of the specifics of what happened on her hike - she's been on medication and her family has only spoken with her briefly. I do hope to learn more. In the meantime, we have an early version of the story up: http://www.modbee.com/2012/10/10/2408540/yosemite-employee-recovering-from.html
I'll also be sure to pass along your best wishes when I speak with the family again.

Patty [Guerra]"

Pulling for Jessica, and thanking this reporter for her follow up, unusual for stories like this.




Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
saltydog #28405 10/10/12 12:59 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 632
Offline
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 632
It is so good to hear Jessica was found. Wow what a story...further reinforcement that it is a good idea to hike with a partner if at all possible even for those hikers who are experienced. I sure hope this experience does not change Jessica's mind about enjoying Yosemite to the fullest once she is well.

Saltydog..thank you for the updates.


Lynnaroo
Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
lynn-a-roo #28406 10/10/12 01:07 PM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
Offline
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
Yeah, there is something about her story that touches me: that she found something truly meaningful in coming to the mountains,something more than just an interesting pastime, that makes this more than some other missing hiker found stories.

Give a lot of credit to this reporter. Without the follow-up, this would have been another hiker lost, hiker found item that so many others seem to be. Makes me wonder what follow up to some of those, such as Shyam Das, might turn out to be.


Wherever you go, there you are.
SPOTMe!
Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
saltydog #28407 10/10/12 01:50 PM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
S
Offline
S
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
What I suspected -- a simple slip...

From the latest report:

Quote:
Garcia apparently fell about 35 feet in steep terrain about two miles from the Wawona base where she was last seen, her aunt, Darlene Cunningham, said this morning. Search and rescue teams looked for Garcia for 2½ days after she failed to show up for her first day of work at the Wawona Hotel on Sunday morning.
Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/2012/10/10/2408540/yosemite-employee-recovering-from.html#storylink=cpy

I think this reporter and the Modesto Bee have a close connection with Garcia, since she graduated from a local Modesto high school, and lived in Ceres, which is practically a suburb of Modesto.

Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
Steve C #28414 10/10/12 10:22 PM
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 5
T
Offline
T
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 5
Hello Whitney Zone,

My name is Tyler Cunningham, I am Jessica Garcia's cousin.

As you can imagine this has been a very tough week for the family. Jessica's survival was truly a miracle, unfortunately she's not out of it yet. We discovered today that her vertebrae was seriously damaged, she will be undergoing a very risky, 8 hour long surgery. Much of the family doesnt know it yet, but paralysis is a very likely risk.

Jessica absolutely fell in love with Yosemite. She was always a city girl, but when she signed up for a summer job in Yosemite valley she changed. She was absolutely at peace there. She became an avid, strong hiker who'd much rather sleep under the stars than in a tent.

Your prayers and well wishes will be forwarded to Jessica when she recovers from surgery. Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world have expressed their concern for Jessica's health and she is very appreciative.

As for the Modesto Bee article, we have no connection to her, we've only spoken over the phone and email. We have expressed to Patty Guerra how much we appreciate her articles, she has been the only one who truly understands and represents Jessica and our Family.

Thank you for your love and support,

Sincerely,
The Garcia, Coffen, Herrera, Cunningham and Contreras families.

Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
Tyler #28418 10/10/12 11:56 PM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
S
Offline
S
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
Tyler, please pass along everyone's sincerest hopes that Jessica gets through this and heals normally. I am so sorry she had such a bad accident.

Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
Steve C #28419 10/11/12 06:09 AM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
Offline
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
Tyler:

As you can see just from the number of hits and posts on this board, there are hundreds of us in this group, and I think every one of us has found something in the mountains very like what Jessica found, something that sustains, renews and heals. We have also experienced the draw of solitude and adventure that she obviously feels, and some have to greater or lesser degrees have experienced something like the difficulties she encountered and faces now. When we contemplate your cousin now we must realize that there but for fortune go I. So please let her know about the few hundred kindred mountain spirits out here pulling for her to come through her surgery and recovery, and to see her in the mountains again.


Wherever you go, there you are.
SPOTMe!
Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
Tyler #28421 10/11/12 07:37 AM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 632
Offline
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 632
Tyler,

Thank you for posting on the Whitney Zone. I pray Jessica's surgery goes well. Jessica has a lot in common with the members of the Whitney Zone...WE LOVE YOSEMITE TOO!

After Jessica's surgery, when she's feeling stronger and when she is in a place where she can use a computer or tablet I hope she will log on to the Whitney Zone so we can message with her and so she can enjoy her beloved Yosemite again through the posts and photos we have on the WZ until she's hopefully well enough to visit the park again.

Please keep us updated. Please let Jessica and her family know we are thinking of them.

Be strong, Jessica needs you.



Lynnaroo
Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
lynn-a-roo #28422 10/11/12 10:16 AM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,251
Likes: 1
wagga Offline OP
OP Offline
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,251
Likes: 1
Tyler,

Please tell Jessica that when she is recovered, and fit again, the board members would be delighted to coach her to a Whitney Summit.


Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
Re: 23-Year-Old Hotel Employee Missing In Yosemite, Rangers Say
wagga #28424 10/11/12 12:51 PM
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 5
T
Offline
T
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 5
Thank you everybody, I am sure she'd love to make a trek to mt Whitney. Of course for now we'll have to wait. The doctors at Fresno Regional are hopeful she will regain the ability to move her legs after surgery, I just spoke to her twin brother who tells me she is 3 hours into surgery and has about 5 more to go. He hasn't heard anything but as far as he's concerned no news is good news at this point.

Page 1 of 2 1 2

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.4
(Release build 20200307)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.4.33 Page Time: 0.373s Queries: 55 (0.364s) Memory: 0.6789 MB (Peak: 0.8288 MB) Data Comp: Off Server Time: 2024-03-28 20:25:38 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS