AK AK- Gary William Fisk, 74, Girdwood, 21 Sep 2021

[Pennysmom1]

Missing Person / NamUs #MP85410

View NamUs missing person case MP85410 for Gary William Fisk missing from Girdwood, Alaska. Date of last contact: Sep 21, 2021. NCMEC case number: --.

namus.nij.ojp.gov

Missing Age 74 Years
Current Age 76 Years

First Name Gary
Middle Name William
Last Name Fisk
Nickname/Alias --
Sex Male
Race / Ethnicity White / Caucasian
Height 6'-0" - (72 - inches)
Weight 180 - lbs

Circumstances​

Date of Last Contact September 21, 2021
NamUs Case Created October 17, 2021

Last Known Location (Map)
Location Girdwood, Alaska
County Anchorage Borough

Missing From Tribal Land No
Primary Residence on Tribal Land No

Circumstances of Disappearance Gary Fisk has been missing since 09-21-2021 when he left to start hiking the Crow Pass Trail in Girdwood. He was planning to arrive at the Eagle River Nature Center two days later but never arrived. Several searches of the area have been unsuccessful in locating him.

Physical Description​

Hair Color Gray or Partially Gray
Head Hair Description --
Body Hair Description --
Facial Hair Description --
Left Eye Color Blue
Right Eye Color Blue
Eye Description --

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Clothing and Accessories​

Item
Description

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Clothing Red synthetic material shirt

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Clothing OD greenish beige hiking pants

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Footwear Ankle high hiking boots

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Clothing He took a blue jacket, a rain shell that may possibly be red, and black rain pants which he may or may not have on

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Accessories He took a sleeping bag, and a small unknown color backpack

Sept 27, 2021

Ground search suspended for hiker missing on Crow Pass Trail between Girdwood and Eagle River

Aerial search efforts are expected to continue as weather and equipment availability allows, troopers said.

www.adn.com

Search continues for missing Eagle River hiker near Crow Pass Trail

After rescue groups searched through the weekend, a 74-year-old hiker from Eagle River is still missing.

www.alaskasnewssource.com

https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article254563457.html

 

[mlhenn]

Gary William Fisk – The Charley Project

Casefile added June 8, 2024

Gary William Fisk​

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Details of Disappearance​

Fisk was last seen in Girdwood, Alaska on September 21, 2021, the day he left to hike the Crow Pass Trail. He packed a sleeping bag, a small backpack, rain shell-type jacket that may have been red, and black rain pants. He planned to arrive at the Eagle River Nature Center in two days, but never made it. He has never been heard from again.

Fisk is an experienced outdoorsman, but there were poor weather conditions including heavy snow in the area at the time of his hike. The Crow Pass Trail is 26 miles long with an elevation gain of 3,290 feet, and is undeveloped; hiking it involves scrambling over rocks, using ladders and ropes, and crossing a moving river.

Searches have turned up no sign of Fisk, but he is believed to have gotten lost or injured in the wilderness.

 

[Pennysmom1]

There is a Reddit forum with an update on the search for Gary by North Star Project. It says they found some items that were Gary's (a bright yellow backpack, floral water bottle, a lighter on the ground 3 feet away. They searched the bag for ID, eventually identifying it as belonging to Gary Fisk. Being careful to not disturb evidence they left the bag and all other items in position. Noticeably the backpack had a foam pad yet no sleeping bag, and a bear canister (food storage canister) had teeth marks upon it, however, the yellow bag had not been opened upon discovery. They also found a turned-over tree with a can of bear spray, which had a bite taken out of it. 20 ft left from the pant leg. Upon departure, they spotted tattered red fabric 50 feet above on the canyon to the western side.)

I won't link, but you can do a google search on Gary's name. Can't find anywhere else to confirm this. There is a photo of the recovered identification ID of Gary.

https://dps.alaska.gov/getmedia/f6324880-1c8e-46b4-944e-29d4ebf9f7b9/Fisk

 

[Betty P]

How sad. I very nice of the two people who went to search the area a couple years later. It sounds like the area was treacherous and the weather very cold and rainy for August. They nearly got stuck there, too and had to be rescued.

Mr. Fisk may have been caught in similar bad weather, cold and flooding there. At least his family and friends have some answers regarding his fate. They were able to confirm it to some degree by finding some of his belongings and his drivers license. RIP