Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Avalanche fatality: Mike Meyers

Edit: Subject changed

A friend of Mike's alerted me to this, from the UCLA Daily Bruin

From http://www.kibskbov.com/missing-person-ucla-student-michael-meyers/:

Is there a permit on record?

Without a permit, and without a vehicle, it seems unlikely he is in the Sierra.

I am suspecting a serious auto accident -- it is possible for a car to crash into a ravine and not be found for a long time.

I'm with you, Steve but it could have occurred anywhere between the trailhead and Westwood. Don't know why the search is limited to Inyo. This story, like so many others, is full of holes.

The top story says he was going to hike on the 6th, return on the 9th and that he was "last heard from on the 8th." 6th was Friday, 8th was Sunday. Story doesn't say what the family heard on Sunday, but its pretty reasonable that he was no longer in the mountains, but headed back down and back to Westwood. He could be anywhere.

The question is for everyone in SAR , did he make it to the Whitney Portal area at all . If so, then the question would be is he still in the High country or did he make it out. A vehicle crash to or from would explain alot ....... So.... " we are going to have to wait ".... for any bread crumb to help out .... asap . gst

"Yu said Myers showed him a live webcam site showing snowed-in, cloud-shrouded mountains."

See the video here

From http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/...-351607931.html:

"Inyo County Sheriff's Department said Wednesday at 10:15 p.m. that the vehicle was found abandoned around 4 p.m. on a side road near the entrance to the Mount Whitney trail."

Thanks NoUglyOneYet and Wagga ! The bread crumbs show a vehicle at WP. So Mike is still in there and ....if still alive in very bad shape in Dire Need of Medical Assistance / Evacuation . I would not want anyone to be in that position on Mount Russel.. I have been up Russel in winter and there is nothing easy about it , even in summer.Once you turn north and leave the packed Mt Whitney trail..it is all white post holing cross county up the canyon to the face of Russel and then back down. There is Hope and it is on a waning clock . gst

I wonder route he planned on taking up Russell. The S. Face would be the longest, but least exposed.

It's such a big and multi-faceted peak that there will be a lot to search...

Def praying for his safe return.

Does anyone know why it has taken so many days for this sad situation be known to the public? In the past it seems SAR and others are looking for a missing hiker much sooner. Maybe they have been searching.

If I'm reading correctly the last contact was approx. 11 days ago. Forgive my ignorance, but why the apparent delay?

Called family and got some answers (red) to the below questions.


Why weren't the outdoor community forums alerted to this early on?

Family was out of state, contacted LE 11/15.

Is the source confirmed that states that the family was contacted on 11/8? This could be a key piece of evidence in narrowing down Mikes location at the time.

Yes, Mike texted his parents.

Was he planning a day hike or overnight trip?

Day hike.

Did he leave his proposed routes for Whitney of Russell on the computer or maybe in Secor's book, or maybe another friend outside of his immediate circle of friends?

Left an itinerary, Mike had planned to day hike Russell.

Have wilderness permits been checked to see if anyone else was out at the same time Mike was, even if they entered from another trailhead?

Some have been pulled.

Have flyers been posted in the area?

Don't know.

What was Mikes experience? What gear did he have with him (descriptions), does he have wilderness first-aid experience?

Experienced, had all the gear to deal with conditions.

Hi Maverick,

From news reports, I've pieced together this very rough timeline. While it definitely should be taken with a large grain of salt, it may explain why this wasn't publicized until this week. Updated with new info Maverick got from the family.

• Thurs Nov 5th: Meyers drives away from LA to go hiking
• Weekend of Nov 6-8 -- acclimating
• Sunday Nov 8th -- texts his family
• Monday Nov 9th -- planned to climb Mt. Irvine and maybe Mt. LeConte
• week of Monday Nov 9th -- his family doesn't hear from him but think he's busy preparing for Nov 14th physics conference.
• Saturday Nov 14th -- he doesn't show up for physics conference, which was an important event that he would not have willingly missed. With his family's permission, his friends hack into his computer to find out more about his plans
• Sunday Nov 15th -- his family reports him missing to Inyo County Sheriff's Department
• Monday Nov 16th -- his family reports him missing to UCLA Police Department (UCPD)
• Monday Nov 16th -- Inyo County Sheriff's Department indicates they've checked Whitney Portal and Onion Valley trail heads and didn't find Meyers' vehicle.
• Wednesday, Nov 18th, 4pm -- Meyers' vehicle is found on side road near Whitney trail head.

New info: http://www.climbingweather.com/California/Mt.-Whitney?date=2015-11-05

Pictures from Nov 9 webcam:   Whitney-151109-webcam



click for the full-size picture.

Initial info was that he was expected back on the 9th. Now the plan was actually do the hike on the 9th? Seems like the key info would be

What did the text of the 8th actually say, and
Where was the car found? (A "side road near the entrance to the Mt Whitney Trail?" I don't know what place that describes. Mesan TH?)

Thanks for digging up the details, Maverick and LA Hiker ! I have gone up Mt Irvine , climbed up and rescued a couple guys 40 years ago ( we put them on a China Lake bird and they were in the Hospital that night and survived ( exposure , etc. from stuck on the face a few days) The whole arena area around there is full of loose rock . I do not mean to put a damper on things , however in most of our Operations .....with this amount of time passed and his plans being on a one day ascent.....we may be looking at a recovery mission right now. I hope to God that I am wrong, but this is 10 days now,for a fine young man at altitude with a few power bars, water bottle, and ascent clothes only. The grains of sand in the search hour glass ( His possible life force ) are but a few now, and dropping out. We can only hope and pray that a miracle will bring Mike out alive. gst

Sierra Angler, I appreciate your perspective and hopes. I agree that given the time that has passed, it doesn't look good, but I find information from Maverick over on the High Sierra Topix thread somewhat heartening:



This also addresses one of Saltydog's questions -- the text was apparently uninformative. I don't know exactly where the SUV was found.

Here's a link to the HST thread:
http://www.highsierratopix.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13716#p102757

Thanks to Steve C for the Whitney web cam photos.

On HST, Maverick reported:

Latest from HST is that the recovery operation is complete, with sad results.

From a family member: "The SAR crews have concluded their rescue mission. I have the overwhelmingly unbearable news to report that Michael did not make it out alive from the Meysan lake area."

Condolences to the family. The post is worth reading. A very generous and sincere appreciation of the community that does its best to support all its hiker members and their families.

This is very sad. My condolences to Michael's family and friends.

Thank you to everyone who helped gather information and to the SAR teams for their tireless and effective work.

LA Times report:

UCLA grad student killed in avalanche in California wilderness

The body of missing UCLA grad student Michael David Meyers has been found by search-and-rescue personnel in the Mt. Whitney area, his mother said

The body of a UCLA graduate student who went missing earlier this month was found Saturday, buried in snow after an avalanche came crashing down in the John Muir Wilderness.

Search-and-rescue crews used sonar technology to find Michael David Meyers, 25, under the 60- to 70-foot-long avalanche area, said Inyo County Sheriff William Lutze. Meyers suffered massive injuries, including broken bones, during his fall, he said.

"It's like being in a head-on accident at 100 mph," Lutze said.

The last time anyone heard from Meyers was on Nov. 5, when he texted his roommate to say he was going to Mt. Russell in Inyo National Forest.

At the time, the area was slammed by a winter storm. The mountains were blanketed with heavy snows and 100 mph winds blew through the canyons, he said.

Avalanches are not unusual for the area, especially after heavy snow builds up and forms a cornice, sending overhanging snow crashing down. Navigating dense, snow-packed mountains requires skill and experience and should only be attempted in pairs, the sheriff said. Fatalities are not uncommon. "If it doesn't look safe, it's not safe," Lutze said.

According to authorities, Meyers was an experienced hiker and climber. He enjoyed cold weather camping and had drawn up a detailed itinerary for his travel, Lutze said. Search-and-rescue crews used the itinerary to track his movements.

About 40 searchers from throughout California started looking for Meyers on Nov. 18 after a local resident spotted a vehicle parked under trees and heavy snow on a service road.

Authorities confirmed the vehicle belonged to Meyers.

Aided by a California Highway Patrol helicopter and a California National Guard Boeing CH-47 Chinook, crews set off the next day to search. On Friday, volunteers found a helmet and a beanie below the avalanche's path. Authorities believed the items belonged to Meyers.

The next day, crews used sonar equipment along the patch of avalanche to find Meyers' body.

Meyers' death was felt by the entire UCLA community, the university said in a statement. Meyers, a Minnesota native, was studying physics.

UCLA will offer counseling resources to students and staff mourning his death.

"We join together in offering our deepest condolences to all of Michael's family and friends," the university said in a statement.

KTLA-5 Report

Missing UCLA Student’s Body Found Buried Under Avalanche in John Muir Wilderness

Posted 11:41 AM, November 23, 2015, by Tracy Bloom, Updated at 01:58pm, November 23, 2015

An Inyo County’s coroner’s office official confirmed Monday that the body of a missing UCLA graduate student was found in the Sierra Nevada mountains over the weekend, and authorities and his mother said he was discovered in an avalanche area.

Michael Meyers was found dead shortly before 1:30 p.m. Saturday, about 11,000 feet up in the mountains in an area of the John Muir Wilderness, according to Deputy Coroner Investigator Jeff Mullenhour.

Meyers, an experienced hiker and climber, was hiking the area by himself. He was due back in Los Angeles on Nov. 11, according to his family.

The UCLA physics student was driving a Dodge SUV, which was discovered Thursday at the Mount Whitney trailhead.

Items belonging to Meyers were found Friday in a recent avalanche debris field near Mount Irvine, the Los Angeles Police Department stated in a brief update to the initial request for help finding the young man. Mount Irvine, at 13,770 feet, is about 2 miles southeast of 14,505-foot Mount Whitney.

Using a dog team and sonar, search-and-rescue crews found the 25-year-old man’s body on Saturday.

His mother told KTLA that he was the victim of an avalanche that occurred on Nov. 9, something the Inyo County Sheriff later confirmed to the Los Angeles Times.

Sheriff William Lutze told the newspaper that Meyers was found buried under a 60- to 70-foot-long avalanche area.

He suffered major injuries during his fall, which Lutze described as being like “in a head-on accident at 100 mph.”

The last time anyone heard from Lutze was on Nov. 5, when he texted his roommate to tell him he was hiking Mount Russell, which is north of Mount Whitney.

The area was hit with winter weather conditions — including heavy snow and winds with speeds of up to 100 mph in canyon areas — at the time, the Times reported.

The coroner’s office has not yet determined a cause of death, Mullenhour said, adding that an autopsy was still pending.

The federally managed wilderness area encompasses about 650,000 acres, about 100 miles along Sierra Nevada crest.

Wow, very sad to hear, especially about someone so young, apparently very bright, and starting his adult life. Condolences to the grieving family.

Here's a picture from Instagram posted by "bentopia" on Nov 20.

Here is the Inyo SAR report:

http://inyosar.com/search-in-meysan-lakes-area-avalanche-fatality/

Scroll down for another report from the Eastern Sierra Avalanche site.

Thanks, Bob.

Here is the Gmap4 map of the location. Click to open a new window.


Open this map full screen.

I received an email from Michael's mom and dad a week ago.

They are asking the hiking community for help if anyone can -- here's some of what she wrote:


Sheriff's office in Lone Pine: 726 N Main St, Lone Pine, CA 93545   Phone:(760) 876-5606

More info: The GPS unit is a Garmin GPSMap 62s. Ice axe: Black Diamond Raven 70 cm.

Steve: Might be worth posting at Mt Whitney FB: MT Whitney Fb Group Also IAVC might hang a notice or something for anyone picking up a Mesan Lake TH permit.

I'll post it in several Facebook groups.

HighSierra Topix has a post here.