Australia Australia - Prabhdeep Srawn, 25, Canadian, Snowy Mtns, NSW, 13 May 2013

[FigTree]

ABC News Australia - Read More...
Police resume Snowy Mountains search for missing Canadian hiker
Superintendent Rod Smith, from the Monaro Local Area Command, says police officers, the dog squad and a rescue helicopter looking for Mr Srawn again this week.
He says there is still too much snow to properly search the areas not covered before, and they may have to wait several weeks for it to melt.
"I know the family have invested a lot of time and money into trying to find their son and family member," he said.
"We'd like nothing more than to be able to find him and give the family that ease.
"We've got specialist police as well as local police down in the area that we think Mr Srawn went missing.
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Good thing to see that they have the dog squads on hand - (as well as helicopters).
Somehow it makes me feel better - and with the snow still there (and melting) things will remain as undisturbed as is possible for a time.
The search is ramping up now with so many people out there in better weather. Lets hope they have results.

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[FigTree]

I was surfing the web tonight looking for some further updates on Prabhs search and came across an exceptional blog from an adventurist and hiker who knows the Snowy Mountains area well and had spent some time recently on his own search for Prabhdeep.

The photography he has included is not only beautiful, but it gives a great insight to what the area looks like right now - and what the searchers have to contend with.
And yes, besides the terrain there's also the flies and spiders.
Not to be missed...

Click link 'DareenM: Abbot Ridge' Blog Page and keep scrolling down for his story and the amazing pictures.

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[dotr]

I was surfing the web tonight looking for some further updates on Prabhs search and came across an exceptional blog from an adventurist and hiker who knows the Snowy Mountains area well and had spent some time recently on his own search for Prabhdeep.

The photography he has included is not only beautiful, but it gives a great insight to what the area looks like right now - and what the searchers have to contend with.
And yes, besides the terrain there's also the flies and spiders.
Not to be missed...

Click link 'DareenM: Abbot Ridge' Blog Page and keep scrolling down for his story and the amazing pictures.

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Thanks for posting very interesting pics. certainly showing the tremendous beauty and power of the area, one can understand Prahb's desire to explore it further.

 

[Marg from Oz]

What a beautiful country we have. Afraid I would not have the stamina to explore but love looking at the slide show.

I'm afraid by looking at the various terrains it would take a miracle to find any remains of Pabhdeep Srawn . So much ground to cover and all the nooks and crannies. Not to mention the rivers/waterways.
In one of the slides I noticed all the flies were out. If he has been covered in snow and it has now melted the flies would have found him by now and started the decomposition process or it may have started not long after he disappeared if he was in a sheltered area. Maybe harder to find him then. But odder things have happened when hikers have gone off the beaten track and have stumbled on remains. I don't know this area as I am from Victoria, Is this area very popular for hiking in summer or is it mostly a winter sport area? Just wondering if a lot of people visit there in the summer. What the chances are of him being found.

 

[FigTree]

Respectfully snipped by me...

What a beautiful country we have. Afraid I would not have the stamina to explore but love looking at the slide show.

I don't know this area as I am from Victoria, Is this area very popular for hiking in summer or is it mostly a winter sport area? Just wondering if a lot of people visit there in the summer. What the chances are of him being found.

It is beautiful countryside -
- that thick scrub cover is unbelievable (apparently). I have seen it written a few times that it can take a hour to get through a 100 metres of the stuff ... slow going, and it covers and hides everything.

As for Prabh being found...
This case really has me bewildered.
Prabh's chances (from what I have read regarding his Military background in cold area survival training) would have put him ahead of any hiker missing in this type of terrain.
But to find nothing at all ??? not a scrap of a map - phone - food wrappers - initials on trees - clothing - a bush shelter, car keys, rental tags, room keys ...

I'm repeating myself when I ask 'Did he go under ground - or in a cave'? Its the only thing I can think of where he may have tried to find/make shelter in a storm that day (he went missing).
Maybe he was trying to find his way back in the dark and something happened?

There are no wolves, or bears out here (except for koala bears and they sleep all day and are as slow as sloths - and technically they're not bears ). There are foxes and wild pigs, dogs and brumbys but this National Park is pretty well monitored for feral animals - that's not to say they aren't a consideration though. I'm just wondering if he cant be seen because he is not on the ground - he's gone to ground.

Despite my ramblings and where he may be or what might have happened - if anyone was to survive in that wilderness - it would be someone like him, and that's why there will always be that slither of hope - that optimism of Prabh being found.

I would hope that if anyone has found any items in the area, even if they didn't know at the time that they were items of interest - that they would come forward and let the Police know now.

I am also wondering if the Police have yet made public the Plea to Hikers in the area (or going to be in the National Park) to keep a look out for things. An msm report said they were going to but I haven't seen anything official in msm print as yet.

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[Marg from Oz]

Thanks Figtree for that great description on the National Park. It has been so long since he disappeared I am afraid I don't give much hope for him being found alive. But then our ancestors managed to survive in thewilderness without all the modern day gadgets.

 

[Elainera]

Figtree, do you think, would it be possible at all to survive in that area? Like, eat plants, fruits, seeds, etc, find water, and hunt small prey, build a shelter etc?

 

[Elainera]

Just looking at this blog you linked to, Figtree, very beautiful, and vast!

It says

One of the most difficult things to comprehend, is the heath cover. It completely hides anyone or anything that may be underneath. A person looking for shelter in pre season falls could easily crawl underneath and escape the brunt of a storm. Seeing anything from two feet away is impossible.

I don't understand what the heath cover is?

ETA: oh, is it the thick scrub you were referring to earlier? (more than waist high in one picture)

 

[FigTree]

Figtree, do you think, would it be possible at all to survive in that area? Like, eat plants, fruits, seeds, etc, find water, and hunt small prey, build a shelter etc?

I wish I knew the answer to that - truly, I dont know - but there was plenty of water - there is wild tucker that could sustain the body (if you knew what could be eaten) and one good trap may land a some protein - but I dont know for sure. If Prabhdeep was injured due to a fall, or disabled/stuck/restricted somewhere in a valley, he may not have had mobility to do anything. If he was snake or spider bitten there are other problems to deal with. But people have walked out of the Amazon after months - lets hope thats Prabh's story.
Through all this I was hoping that even the smoke from a small fire or something - but the wood was possibly too wet and maybe he didn't have a lighter on him

I don't understand what the heath cover is?
ETA: oh, is it the thick scrub you were referring to earlier? (more than waist high in one picture)

Yeah its like God knitted a 4 foot thick rug out of tree branches and its like trying to walk through the weave. We have it here too in the Blue Mountains in patches on some of the ridges - its a great windbreak, and that's about it. And it scratches!

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[Elainera]

Thank you Fig, for explaining and also for that blog link. The pictures really gave me a good impression of the area, and of how difficult the search is!

They need a bit of luck!

 

[Elainera]

This is an interesting article (it's from August, nothing new, but interesting):

How does a bushwalker go missing, never to be found?

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...ever-to-be-found/story-e6frg8h6-1226706580736

Prabhdeep is mentioned as well, giving a good overview of the situation (up until August), also others that went missing in AU.

 

[FigTree]

Bumping the thread for Prabh.

The Search is on but there's no new news presently.
I hope there is some to share soon - no matter what the outcome.

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[Marg from Oz]

Bumping the thread for Prabh.

The Search is on but there's no new news presently.
I hope there is some to share soon - no matter what the outcome.

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Does anyone know if the Canadian search team has gone home yet or are theybstill searching?

 

[Trackergd]

Just adding Tom Brown Jnr's website address here - it is in the USA:
http://www.trackerschool.com/about_tracker_school.asp


I dont know if Mandeep has engaged the services of a Tracker earlier in the searches for Prahb - I have not come across anything in the Main Stream Media, and I dont know if it would be viable after such a length of time (since May 5th 2013), and if the winter snow fall makes a difference. Also the area is a tourist type destination, and now with Spring here, many people will be trampling all over the place - though if there was a shoot off or a point of interest which a tracker could locate I would think that the tracking markers would have been frozen in time over winter possibly?

Maybe you could shed some light on that aspect of tracking Trackergd?

Im not sure how many Trackers we have here in Australia either.

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Some print evidence can last quite a while if it is naturally sheltered. Other evidence such as a camp fire and shelter making can last years. While Tom Browns school is in the US, the students are international. A tracker may also be able to determine the logical route of travel once a jumping off point or as we say "last known place (LKP)" is determined. Individuals and animals share the trait of taking the path of least resistance, so logical natural pathways and trails should always be investigated. Also any natural shelter areas or areas of opportunity should be thoroughly checked for evidence. Egress routs such as washes and steep inclines down from high ground on occasion turn out to be where the individual attempted to make a quick decent and things went awry.

I have always wanted to travel "down under", but age, time and finances have never favored that opportunity.

 

[FigTree]

Thanks so much Trackergd for replying to the questions - it's always good to read your input and knowledge on the subject, and especially in this case.

Some print evidence can last quite a while if it is naturally sheltered. Other evidence such as a camp fire and shelter making can last years.
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A tracker may also be able to determine the logical route of travel once a jumping off point or as we say "last known place (LKP)" is determined. Individuals and animals share the trait of taking the path of least resistance, so logical natural pathways and trails should always be investigated. Also any natural shelter areas or areas of opportunity should be thoroughly checked for evidence. Egress routs such as washes and steep inclines down from high ground on occasion turn out to be where the individual attempted to make a quick decent and things went awry.

... regarding the Tracker services, from what I am reading on Help Find Prabh's Facebook Page, the family has invested in the services of a 18 man Canadian Search and Rescue Team, hand picked for their experiences.
There is a photo of some of the crew... and 5 more photos on the Facebook Photos Page

Some of the Search and Rescue Professionals from Canada prepared to search for Prabh.

The searches are in progress now - so here's hoping luck is with them all.
The NSW Police have also resumed their searches for Prabh too, though I have not seen how long their ground search will go for, but the case has had a second life - which is great news.

I have always wanted to travel "down under", but age, time and finances have never favored that opportunity.

Ah! Then I hope one day that can happen for you. We'll have you out tracking as soon as the plane lands

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[FigTree]

Does anyone know if the Canadian search team has gone home yet or are theybstill searching?

I think they are still out there - but the time is going past very quickly - I hope the family find the financial support they are looking for to keep the Search going.

I hope there is news soon.

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[FigTree]

OOps ! Sorry! Double Post.

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[dotr]

Wishing all the best to the fine crew heading out to find Prabhdeep!

 

[FigTree]

There was so much hope that Spring's arrival, thawing snow and new 'eyes' on the ground would uncover clues for the whereabouts of Prabh in the Kosciuszko National Park but, it has been reported that there has been no trace of him found anywhere.

I do not give up hope that something will still come to light - my thoughts are with the family who have paid for the best of Cananda's S&R teams to come to Australia, and the many Searchers, Family and Friends who were hoping of a discovery for Prabh's family.

New Report on the latest Search: Posted: Dec 18, 2013
CBC Hammilton News Canada - Read More...
New search for Prabhdeep Srawn, missing hiker from Hamilton, fails
A new search for Prabhdeep Srawn, the former military reservist from Hamilton who disappeared last May while hiking in Australia, hasn't produced any new clues.
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The final search team finished its work on Dec. 17 after a gruelling 2-day bush-wack down a major drainage area turned up no clues, Colwell said.
"We have searched all of the originally-designated high probability areas as well as a number of new areas identified while we were searching," Colwell said in an email to CBC Hamilton.
"Unfortunately, we still have not found even one verifiable clue."
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The search team is set to fly back to Canada on Wednesday.
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An elite search team from B.C. failed to find any trace of missing Hamilton hiker Prabhdeep Srawn in Australia's mountainous Kosciuszko National Park. (Courtesy Tej Sahota)

 

[Elainera]

"The final search team finished its work on Dec. 17"

It's summer in Australia. Why is this the final search team?