Deceased/Not Found WA - Sam Dubal, 34, UW professor, Mother Mountain Loop, Mowich Lake TH, Mount Rainier, 9 Oct 2020

[JerseyGirl]

"My brother (Sam Dubal) is missing. He went camping overnight on Friday night in Ipsuit Creek and Seattle Park in Washington State. He was supposed to be back on Sat. Rangers found his car and are looking for him. If anyone is hiking or camping in the area pls be on the look out," a tweet from Veena Dubal read.

Dena describes her brother as 5'9" and 160 pounds. He is 34 years old.

Any tips can be sent to Ranger Braun at matthew_braun@nps.gov.

UW professor goes missing during camping trip at Mount Rainier | king5.com

 

[rainynights]

Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park rangers are looking for information on the whereabouts of Sam Dubal. He was last known to be hiking the Mother Mountain Loop out of the Mowich Lake Trailhead on Friday, October 9, 2020 and was due out Saturday, October 10, 2020. If you were hiking in the Mowich Lake area during this time and have any information on Dubal’s whereabouts please contact Mount Rainier National Park's Tip Line: (253) 345-1363.

~pw



https://twitter.com/MountRainierNPS/status/1315828384354594816

 

[JerseyGirl]

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article246415725.html

Dubal is an assistant professor in the anthropology department at the University of Washington in Seattle, according to his UW bio.

Dubal is described as 5-foot 9-inches tall and 155 pounds. He has black hair and a beard. He may have been wearing a blue jacket.

 

[10ofRods]

It's raining pretty good up there today. I hope he had rain gear. Chance of snow.

 

[watcher9]

Hope they find him soon.
Windy, rain, snow, freezing temps. The weather must be awful up there if they are attempting any searches. It could depend on where he is at though.

Mt Rainier Recreational Forecast

Info on Mt Rainier.

Mount Rainier National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

 

[crhedBngr]

Prayers he is found soon.

 

[JerseyGirl]

A spokesperson from Mount Rainier National Park said the search and rescue effort continued overnight Monday into Tuesday. That included an Air Force helicopter using infrared radar for "several hours”.

On Tuesday morning, there were 25 people involved in the search, including 19 from the National Park Service and six mountain rescue volunteers.

Search continues for UW professor who went missing after camping trip to Mount Rainier | king5.com

 

[sasha17]

Sam's sister has posted information on her Twitter about his planned hiking route with maps and information, as well as some additional photos of him. https://twitter.com/veenadubal/status/1315734016276873217

 

[MoeInVA]

There was a lot of snow up there Friday night. And then rain storms. Very worried.

His sister tweeted they found his water bottle in a location that suggests he made it 3/4 of the way through his planned route. A good clue for searchers and the location suggests he got past some of the more dangerous sections, but that was more than 24 hours ago now. Praying they find him today.

 

[JerseyGirl]

More than five days of searching have yielded no results in finding the Seattle-area hiker that went missing at Mount Rainier National Park.

Search for missing hiker continues | Courier-Herald

The primary search area has been defined by the 17-mile Mother Mountain Loop trail, with teams increasingly branching off to explore spur trails leading higher on Mount Rainier and river drainages leading off it. The terrain includes rugged, remote wilderness, with dense forests at elevations from 2,000 to 5,000 feet and exposed subalpine meadows blanketed with fresh autumn snowfall above it. Rangers are coordinating the search with the Washington State Emergency Operations Center and other state and local resources, who are providing highly skilled rescuers trained to search in hazardous conditions and poor weather.

 

[PommyMommy]

This is a trip report from the Washington Trails Association website which includes photos and a video of the Mother Mountain Loop. This report was from August 2016 - I can't imagine doing this hike in October.

Wish we had a list of the gear he had with him.

Prayers that Mr. Dubal is found safe!

Ipsut Pass, Spray Park Loop, Seattle Park — Washington Trails Association

 

[JerseyGirl]

His story made news in India:

Search underway for missing Indian-American professor

Prospect of Finding Missing Indian American Professor Grows Dimmer As Mount Rainier is Battered by Stormy Weather

Indian American professor goes missing on Mount Rainier hike

“We are unfortunately reaching a point where, with cold, snowy, stormy weather at high elevations, conditions are getting riskier for our searchers. At the same time, as time passes, the likelihood of a positive outcome begins to decline,” Mt. Rainier National Park Ranger Kevin Bacher told India-West.

“Our hope has always been to find Dr. Dubal alive and well. Failing that, we at least would like to resolve his disappearance on behalf of the family,” he said, adding: “A search that continues indefinitely is always the least desirable outcome, although it does sometimes happen.”

“To be clear, we are not yet at that point, which is why we still have dozens of people dedicated to the effort,” said Bacher.

The plans going forward, unless Dubal is found, is to search on the ground Oct. 21 and hopefully by air on Oct. 22, which appears to be the last good weather window for flying in the near future, said Bacher.

Dubal, who earned his MD at Harvard and joined the University of Washington in June, was hiking alone on a trail that is quite steep in several places, but not considered perilous.

The hike does make a crossing over the Carbon River. Bracher said the trail bridge was intact when Dubal would have crossed over it, but has since been washed out with the heavy rains.

 

[rainynights]

“He has gear with him. He has a tent, he has a rain jacket, he has a sleeping bag, he was ready,” said Dena Dubal, Sam’s sister.

Dubal, an experienced outdoorsman, was on a solo backpacking trip inside Mount Rainier National Park.

“We know that he had a backcountry permit to spend the night at Carbon River Camp and we know that he was planning to do the Mother Mountain loop, yes.” said Ranger Kevin Bacher of the National Park Service.

[...]

A parks service spokesperson said while the weather is making conditions dangerous for search crews, the mission will be reevaluated Friday.



Family of missing UW professor pleads for search to continue on Mount Rainier | king5.com

 

[Rosegold68]

Hope he’s found!

 

[scriabina]

Just read up on this case. What a talented man. It's horrible to think he has been trapped/lost and suffering for 11+ days now. According to his sister who is also an MD, there is a "very high chance" that Sam is alive. "He is still in a window of survivability, even with hunger and hypothermia, which many medical experts estimate between 2–3 weeks with the type of gear he was carrying." I really hope they find him alive, but I don't have a good feeling about this one. :-(

 

[Auntie_Seagull]

Well, keeping my fingers crossed for Sam.

 

[Charlot123]

It’s getting so cold and rainy here. Hope he will make it. Poor guy.

 

[watcher9]

Brief hiking experiences on the Mother Mountain Loop with pictures.

Mother Mountain Loop — Washington Trails Association

Mother Mountain Loop Backpacking in Mt Rainier - Ordinary Adventures

 

[LadyL]

“He has gear with him. He has a tent, he has a rain jacket, he has a sleeping bag, he was ready,” said Dena Dubal, Sam’s sister.

Dubal, an experienced outdoorsman, was on a solo backpacking trip inside Mount Rainier National Park.

“We know that he had a backcountry permit to spend the night at Carbon River Camp and we know that he was planning to do the Mother Mountain loop, yes.” said Ranger Kevin Bacher of the National Park Service.

[...]

A parks service spokesperson said while the weather is making conditions dangerous for search crews, the mission will be reevaluated Friday.

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Family of missing UW professor pleads for search to continue on Mount Rainier | king5.com

wow he could still be alive!! esp. with being somewhat prepared like he was
he must have had some kind of accident - otherwise, it would seem he would stay on trail that was on his itinerary IMO

 

[10ofRods]

There's a lot of beautiful scenery to explore just off the trail a little, and backpacking sites to try and choose, if the day closed out on him before getting to his chosen camp.

Do we know if he made it to the Carbon River Camp?