ACTIVE SEARCH JAPAN - Patricia "Pattie" Wu-Murad, 60, US Citizen, on hiking trip Kumano Kodo Trail, didn't arr next stop Osaka, 10 Apr 2023

[neesaki]

I’m sorry I made it difficult to find. I went and read the WS rules and think it’s ok to post the blog link after all.

WS says: “Regarding Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and other social networking or blog websites: Links may be used to direct posters to view something on a social networking page. But postings on social networking sites are not considered fact; they are rumor.”

So, here’s the link to the gentleman who says he heard from Pattie via text prior to her going missing:

Shocked and Very Saddened - Kumano Kodo 2015 Dual Pilgrim Update

This is an incredibly difficult blog post to write. I am feeling very worried and extremely sad concerning the recent developments regarding...

caminolongwalk.blogspot.com

No, no, you didn’t make it difficult to find, I apparently was looking for the wrong thing. It was right there all along. Thank you!

 

[ZaZara]

I’m sorry I made it difficult to find. I went and read the WS rules and think it’s ok to post the blog link after all.

WS says: “Regarding Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and other social networking or blog websites: Links may be used to direct posters to view something on a social networking page. But postings on social networking sites are not considered fact; they are rumor.”

So, here’s the link to the gentleman who says he heard from Pattie via text prior to her going missing:

Shocked and Very Saddened - Kumano Kodo 2015 Dual Pilgrim Update

This is an incredibly difficult blog post to write. I am feeling very worried and extremely sad concerning the recent developments regarding...

caminolongwalk.blogspot.com

Thanks for posting. I saw the message on the Help Find Pattie page on FB, but I cannot return to it unless I register. FB gets nasty every now and then unfortunately.

The autor clarifies a question that IMO hasn't been quite answered yet:

Patricia was on the Kohechi Kumano Kodo route (an even more mountainous route than Nakahechi route that I walked) on April 8th…a 4 day walk.

A 4 day walk... Apparently, the Kohechi route wasn't in her original planning until she was ahead of schedule and had the time to walk it. If her info wasn't up to date, this might be the reason she thought there might not be enough mobile coverage in the area.

 

[realanastasia]

New-ish (April 23) updates from the family on their G - F- M page. Highlights:

--On the 19th, Pattie's husband, son, and family friend walked from the Mandoroko guest house to the highest point on the section of the trail which Pattie had planned to cover on the day she went missing. On the 20th, the same folks walked from the highest point down to the guesthouse Pattie was supposed to stay at on the evening she went missing. The search party had cell service throughout this search, so ostensibly Pattie would have as well.

--The search party also found a private residence with a camera pointed at the trail. Pattie was not seen on the camera footage from the day she went missing.

--Apparently Japanese authorities are simultaneously treating this as a search-and-rescue (or search-and-recover) mission AND looking into the possibility of foul play.

There is an Instagram page run by the family related to the search which I am sharing here because it shows one of the handwritten notes Pattie's family found at the guesthouse from which she departed before going missing. This note is described (on the G - F- M page) as having messages from Pattie as well as from the Australian guy who was staying at Mandoroko at the same time as Pattie, but I only see the side of the paper that has Pattie's handwritten notes.

Also, the last photo taken of Pattie before she vanished shows two other folks, one of whom I presume is the Australian and the other of whom is likely the guesthouse owner.

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[imstilla.grandma]

The Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes, which are a popular destination for tourists from both Japan and overseas, have several routes to visit sacred sites in Wakayama Prefecture. The trails go through the prefectures of Osaka, Nara, Mie and Wakayama. Nara Prefecture’s Totsukawa is located near Wakayama Prefecture.

U.S. Woman Missing Near Pilgrimage Routes in Nara Pref.

NARA — An American woman has been missing for more than two weeks while traveling through Nara Prefecture.

japannews.yomiuri.co.jp

 

[WingsOverTX]

Thanks for posting. I saw the message on the Help Find Pattie page on FB, but I cannot return to it unless I register. FB gets nasty every now and then unfortunately.

The autor clarifies a question that IMO hasn't been quite answered yet:

Patricia was on the Kohechi Kumano Kodo route (an even more mountainous route than Nakahechi route that I walked) on April 8th…a 4 day walk.

A 4 day walk... Apparently, the Kohechi route wasn't in her original planning until she was ahead of schedule and had the time to walk it. If her info wasn't up to date, this might be the reason she thought there might not be enough mobile coverage in the area.

I am so confused about both the walk and her plans. She was on an 11-mile segment of a particular route she was expected to be on, according to the family & media reports.

I wonder how much of these three pilgrimage trails you have to hike to get the Dual Pilgrim Status?

If she had scheduled a meeting with friends in Osaka on the 14th(?), how many miles was she walking? How many of the trails to the three shrines was she walking?

Also, any assumptions about cell coverage in such a remote area would be foolish IMO. Why? Because no smart person who has made a well-thought out plan would be assuming anything that could potentially endanger their life. And Pattie doesn't strike me as being that unprepared on a solo trek of this nature, except if she did not carry an emergency beacon. That has not been confirmed AFAIK.

Jmo

 

[ZaZara]

I am so confused about both the walk and her plans. She was on an 11-mile segment of a particular route she was expected to be on, according to the family & media reports.

I wonder how much of these three pilgrimage trails you have to hike to get the Dual Pilgrim Status?

If she had scheduled a meeting with friends in Osaka on the 14th(?), how many miles was she walking? How many of the trails to the three shrines was she walking?

Also, any assumptions about cell coverage in such a remote area would be foolish IMO. Why? Because no smart person who has made a well-thought out plan would be assuming anything that could potentially endanger their life. And Pattie doesn't strike me as being that unprepared on a solo trek of this nature, except if she did not carry an emergency beacon. That has not been confirmed AFAIK.

Jmo

Let me explain where I come from, idea-wise. Since the disappearance of Denise Thiem, I have taken an interest in all things Camino and Camino forums. Pilgrims on the Camino (and elsewhere) live in a bubble of sorts. They exchange info, they pose questions among each other. On the forums, FB and along the way. Someone will ask for instance if Albergue / guesthouse X is still open. One person will answer: it was last year when we were there in April. Another one posts that it was closed in December. And so on. Hopefully the person who was there last week comes along.

The same goes with cellphone coverage. Pattie could have gotten her info from someone who hiked the Kohechi trail at a time when coverage wasn't good. I still have the impression that the Kohechi trail was not part of her original plan. It was mentioned somewhere - cannot find it right away, sorry - that she was ahead of schedule and that is why she could do this extra 4-day trek. IMO the schedule is what she had planned in advance, and perhaps the Kohechi not so much.

For Dual Pilgrim Status, it would have been sufficient to hike the Kohechi Trail. But Pattie had hiked a much longer distance, on a different route.

More info here:
Dual Pilgrim｜Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau

On the trail, the pilgrims collect stamps in their Dual Pilgrim Credential (a sort of Pilgrim Passport) as proof along the way.

 

[ZaZara]

This is the Kohechi trail as part of the network. From Koyasan to Kumano Hongu Taisha.

Along the trail, there is one peak, and there are three passes. The hike is done in 4 stages.

Kumano Kodo Maps｜Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

wasn't an article posted today that said her family had gone and hiked her exact route plan for that day and had continuous cell phone coverage for the entirety of the hike? Am I dreaming that? Different case? I'mma go try to find that again.

ETA: not an article, but information from the page that shall not be named here. Posted in no. 143 above by @realanastasia

 

[WingsOverTX]

Let me explain where I come from, idea-wise. Since the disappearance of Denise Thiem, I have taken an interest in all things Camino and Camino forums. Pilgrims on the Camino (and elsewhere) live in a bubble of sorts. They exchange info, they pose questions among each other. On the forums, FB and along the way. Someone will ask for instance if Albergue / guesthouse X is still open. One person will answer: it was last year when we were there in April. Another one posts that it was closed in December. And so on. Hopefully the person who was there last week comes along.

The same goes with cellphone coverage. Pattie could have gotten her info from someone who hiked the Kohechi trail at a time when coverage wasn't good. I still have the impression that the Kohechi trail was not part of her original plan. It was mentioned somewhere - cannot find it right away, sorry - that she was ahead of schedule and that is why she could do this extra 4-day trek. IMO the schedule is what she had planned in advance, and perhaps the Kohechi not so much.

For Dual Pilgrim Status, it would have been sufficient to hike the Kohechi Trail. But Pattie had hiked a much longer distance, on a different route.

More info here:
Dual Pilgrim｜Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau

On the trail, the pilgrims collect stamps in their Dual Pilgrim Credential (a sort of Pilgrim Passport) as proof along the way.

Thanks so much.

You said:
"For Dual Pilgrim Status, it would have been sufficient to hike the Kohechi Trail. But Pattie had hiked a much longer distance, on a different route."

What other route had she walked and when? Do you have a link to confirm that?

All I've read about is the 11-mile Kohechi Trail. I have no knowledge of where she was before that since beginning her visit to Japan in early March & have not seen confirmation that "she was ahead of schedule" and what that means in terms of where she was lost & her 0lans to end her trip with a visit with friends in Osaka in mid-April.

If she could be elsewhere in the pilgrimage region, why has the family focused on this particular trail segment.
TIA & JMO

 

[WingsOverTX]

wasn't an article posted today that said her family had gone and hiked her exact route plan for that day and had continuous cell phone coverage for the entirety of the hike? Am I dreaming that? Different case? I'mma go try to find that again.

Correct. That's what they said.

 

[WingsOverTX]

This is the Kohechi trail as part of the network. From Koyasan to Kumano Hongu Taisha.

Along the trail, there is one peak, and there are three passes. The hike is done in 4 stages.

Kumano Kodo Maps｜Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau

Right. But what parts other than the Kohechi are relevant to this discussion based on family, LE & media reports?

 

[ZaZara]

Thanks so much.

You said:
"For Dual Pilgrim Status, it would have been sufficient to hike the Kohechi Trail. But Pattie had hiked a much longer distance, on a different route."

What other route had she walked and when? Do you have a link to confirm that?

All I've read about is the 11-mile Kohechi Trail. I have no knowledge of where she was before that since beginning her visit to Japan in early March & have not seen confirmation that "she was ahead of schedule" and what that means in terms of where she was lost & her 0lans to end her trip with a visit with friends in Osaka in mid-April.

If she could be elsewhere in the pilgrimage region, why has the family focused on this particular trail segment.
TIA & JMO

Post 120 mentions she was ahead of schedule.

JAPAN - Patricia "Pattie" Wu-Murad, retired, USA Cit frm Storrs CT, on hiking trip Kumano Kodo Trail, didn't arr next stop Osaka, 10 Apr 2023

 

[Vaccine]

Sadly these cases usually end in the same way. An accident or mistake leads to serious results. Someone trips and falls, goes off trail and gets lost, a toilet break gone wrong... an accidental injury leading mostly to end of life.

She looked like a lovely lady doing something she loved - clearly a beautiful trail. I feel so sad for her family.

 

[annpats]

If she could be elsewhere in the pilgrimage region, why has the family focused on this particular trail segment.

I don't think she could be elsewhere in the pilgrimage region. She had booked into the next guesthouse and was expected there. There were no other guesthouses in the area and no where else to go. That was it.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

starting to feel a little hinky IMO. And I am someone who usually maintains that missing hikers are found eventually and try to discourage random theories of foul play without evidence but there's been a few weird things here. I hope there is more news soon.

 

[evilwise]

It's a real shame that video of the specific leg of the route was snipped, I'm finding it about impossible to find video in confident is of the exact right section but if I remember correctly there were a lot of opportunities to go into moving water and be swept away but i still think she's in a lost camp. They should have found some trace of her by now otherwise - or else foul play I guess.

 

[annpats]

They should have found some trace of her by now otherwise - or else foul play I guess.

I was a bit disappointed all the sniffer dogs (on several days) didn't sniff anything at all.
It's not like the trail gets packed with the scent of others!

 

[Snoopster]

This is the Kohechi trail as part of the network. From Koyasan to Kumano Hongu Taisha.

Along the trail, there is one peak, and there are three passes. The hike is done in 4 stages.

Kumano Kodo Maps｜Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau

And just to be clear, Pattie was heading out on the 3rd leg (pink leg on the map) of the Kohechi trail on the day she went missing.

The first part of the trail is a climb up and then and even larger descent. The latter part of the leg is on a windy road that follows the river. Any accidental fall or medical problem would have likely happened on the trail section while any foul play would have likely happened on the road section. (e.g. did a vehicle accidentally hit her and then toss her over the side? Did she hurt herself along the trail and someone saw her hobbling along the road and offered her a ride?)

I still believe something happened to her on the trail portion, but you never know.

Here is the more detailed map/information page for the specific leg that Pattie went missing on (i.e. the Miura Pass leg). It is the 3rd of 4 legs of the Kohechi trail. You can see the trail portion (dotted line) and the road section (solid line). She would have been walking from left to right on this map.



Source: http://www2.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/pdf/Kumano-Kodo-Kohechi-Route-Maps-Miura-toge-Pass.pdf

 

[WingsOverTX]

And just to be clear, Pattie was heading out on the 3rd leg (pink leg on the map) of the Kohechi trail on the day she went missing.

The first part of the trail is a climb up and then and even larger descent. The latter part of the leg is on a windy road that follows the river. Any accidental fall or medical problem would have likely happened on the trail section while any foul play would have likely happened on the road section. (e.g. did a vehicle accidentally hit her and then toss her over the side? Did she hurt herself along the trail and someone saw her hobbling along the road and offered her a ride?)

I still believe something happened to her on the trail portion, but you never know.

Here is the more detailed map/information page for the specific leg that Pattie went missing on (i.e. the Miura Pass leg). It is the 3rd of 4 legs of the Kohechi trail. You can see the trail portion (dotted line) and the road section (solid line). She would have been walking from left to right on this map.

View attachment 417658

Source: http://www2.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/pdf/Kumano-Kodo-Kohechi-Route-Maps-Miura-toge-Pass.pdf

Excellent finds. Thank you for sharing them.

Where is the source that references this:
"Pattie was heading out on the 3rd leg (pink leg on the map) of the Kohechi trail on the day she went missing."

Thanks much!

 

[annpats]

Hmmm, I didn't know the section of trail she was on had a part by a ROAD!!
Well, that changes things!! A lot!!