Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Lost in Yosemite for 7 Years

Here is the story.

"The recovery solved a mystery that has intrigued searchers and haunted Claassen's loved ones for nearly a decade. Claassen was an experienced backpacker who would have had the skills and knowledge to spend extended time in the backcountry."

Fascinating.Can you imagine the pain his wife went through not knowing or having closure?

I can't imagine walking past something as out of the ordinary as a backpack covered in snow and not stopping to at least check it out... but then thinking to mention it to a friend at a later point?

Wow.. what an incredible story...

As time advances, Moore's Law and improved satellite imaging will at some point enable us to make the query:

In this <geographical area> find this <RGB backpack color value> plus or minus <some color value> sized smaller than <some area value> and greater than <some area value> that <is> or <is not> moving.

Add in the potential benefits of a better Fossett hive mind search and within the decade we just might be able to resolve this search problem from the comfort of our home offices.

In a day or so. Even if the lost soul doesn't carry a GPS transponder.

Amazing. Glad for his wife. It has to help her get past the tragedy.

Thanks for posting this, wagga.

USFS employee sees a backpack covered in snow and doesn't think to report it?

I used to think that with my SPOT and tracking that this couldn't happen to me. Last weeks trip showed me the error of this logic though. There are places where you can fall and not be seen again, at least for years. And that's even if they have a decent idea of where to search. I won't be showing this story to my wife.

The big lesson I see here is - if you see something odd in the backcountry - report it to someone. You might be the only one who has passed through that area in a long time................................................DUG

You mean like the MMWT in summer?

Seriously though, good advice DUG.