AK AK - Steve Keel, 61, missing from hunting trip, from TN - Aug 27, 2022

[OddOneOut]

Any idea where this info came from?

I believe that came from his wife in the beginning of this thread.

So I guess I am confused , as @OddOneOut just posted ‘that is where his camp was’.

Please note that I said NEAR where his camp was not at. I believe that is just an approximate location. Possibly an approximate location for the van as mile markers are only on roads. I seems like we need three locations mapped. The location of the van his friend slept in, the "camp" where I assumed they intended to meet (and possible both sleep at), and the location of the packed meat SK went to pickup are all important.

 

[Gardenista]

I believe that came from his wife in the beginning of this thread.

Please note that I said NEAR where his camp was not at. I believe that is just an approximate location. Possibly an approximate location for the van as mile markers are only on roads. I seems like we need three locations mapped. The location of the van his friend slept in, the "camp" where I assumed they intended to meet (and possible both sleep at), and the location of the packed meat SK went to pickup are all important.

Meat location and camp location can be found by clicking on the page referenced in this shared post. I can't link to it directly because it's his personal page. Go to his page and go to the 2nd post on Sept 13 (it has a dog video and a map). The map shows those locations

Search For Steve | Facebook

www.facebook.com

Then go to this post and look at the comments for coordinates for the van and the campsite

Chris Dowdy of Mossy Oak Properties

Update: I wanted to take a minute to explain what we know about the circumstances surroundng Steve Keels disappeance and search efforts. Order of events. Steve was hunting his friend Bryan...

www.facebook.com

And here is the area on Google Maps

North Slope · Alaska

Alaska

www.google.com

 

[Gardenista]

Here's an image I made taking all of the info we have so far. I used the AK Maps app. LMK if I messed any of it up or if there are other points to add

Alaska Mapper - New Map

 

[5W's]

My understanding from^^^^^ is that it wasn’t a cache, i.e. planned stowage, but his rucksack full of meat that SK was unable to carry back from the hunt the day before, because of fatigue (or other). It was plopped somewhere out there. It was marked by a trekking pole.

Well, even it was a rucksack I don't see experienced hunters putting their catch in a way that have it fall onto the ground, nor would I think that they would want to take the meat all back to their camp at one time.

 

[RickshawFan]

Here's an image I made taking all of the info we have so far. I used the AK Maps app. LMK if I messed any of it up or if there are other points to add

Alaska Mapper - New Map

Oh, wow, there were TWO camps plus the vehicle? I find the whole set up very odd. And they had coolers at base camp (we know this because the hunting partner was fileting meat on top of a cooler when SK went missing), so they had to schlep coolers and meat out, as well as their base camp stuff? How does that happen? I don’t see mules anywhere….
And, in addition to that schlepping, they have to schlepp all the stuff from their overnight camp back to the vehicle.
I’m exhausted already, and all I’m doing is working my imagination.
Then, there’s the garbage, human fecal matter, tents, stoves, clothing changes, leftover food, weapons…. All that to schlepp out, all the miles from the overnight camp, as well as the same from base camp. I don’t understand how two guys are doing this logistically.
You could get all that stuff from your vehicle to the camps in several trips (unless they had to carry water), but getting it back is a whole ‘nother dimension. You’ve got the meat as well.
Let’s not forget the wag bags for human waste that would have to be somewhat segregated….
I’m not sure how much a dead caribou weighs, but I’m having a “medical event” just thinking about all this schlepping.
So, if just the meat had to be dropped off in a random spot because of fatigue, how is SK in a condition to play his part in transporting all this stuff, let alone in this excruciatingly difficult terrain?
It wouldn’t even need to be a heart attack kind of “medical event”. It could just be that a knee, hip, or vertebra gave out….. I’m leaning heavily on hypothermia being the cause, after panic about not finding the meat cache (it was evidently only marked with a trekking pole), and getting lost in the panic. But a “medical event”, even one at a joint, might very well have been totally disabling and contributed.

 

[shefner]

Another thing I was thinking this morning is that if SK was suffering from fatigue or some other ailment that caused him to be incapable of getting the meat back to camp, wouldn't his hunting partner then feel it important to go back with SK to retrieve the meat pack...just in case the same fatigue set in again?

 

[RickshawFan]

Another thing I was thinking this morning is that if SK was suffering from fatigue or some other ailment that caused him to be incapable of getting the meat back to camp, wouldn't his hunting partner then feel it important to go back with SK to retrieve the meat pack...just in case the same fatigue set in again?

I would guess he could have insisted. Especially if there was only one zoleo, the two of them would have been practically tied together in case something happened. And this was a very threatening environment, even apart from fatigue levels.

 

[LauraAnne]

Oh, wow, there were TWO camps plus the vehicle? I find the whole set up very odd. And they had coolers at base camp (we know this because the hunting partner was fileting meat on top of a cooler when SK went missing), so they had to schlep coolers and meat out, as well as their base camp stuff? How does that happen? I don’t see mules anywhere….
And, in addition to that schlepping, they have to schlepp all the stuff from their overnight camp back to the vehicle.
I’m exhausted already, and all I’m doing is working my imagination.
Then, there’s the garbage, human fecal matter, tents, stoves, clothing changes, leftover food, weapons…. All that to schlepp out, all the miles from the overnight camp, as well as the same from base camp. I don’t understand how two guys are doing this logistically.
You could get all that stuff from your vehicle to the camps in several trips (unless they had to carry water), but getting it back is a whole ‘nother dimension. You’ve got the meat as well.
Let’s not forget the wag bags for human waste that would have to be somewhat segregated….
I’m not sure how much a dead caribou weighs, but I’m having a “medical event” just thinking about all this schlepping.
So, if just the meat had to be dropped off in a random spot because of fatigue, how is SK in a condition to play his part in transporting all this stuff, let alone in this excruciatingly difficult terrain?
It wouldn’t even need to be a heart attack kind of “medical event”. It could just be that a knee, hip, or vertebra gave out….. I’m leaning heavily on hypothermia being the cause, after panic about not finding the meat cache (it was evidently only marked with a trekking pole), and getting lost in the panic. But a “medical event”, even one at a joint, might very well have been totally disabling and contributed.

I've expressed confusion about the logistics, also. It appears these men pulled to the side of the road in their vehicle, and carried ALL THEIR GEAR on their backs. For miles. On the soggy ground.

So often, in missing persons cases, we all get a view of a paradise where someone goes on an adventure and sadly goes missing, and I think, I sure would like to go there myself. Not this place. I can't IMAGINE willingly spending even an hour out there as recreation.

 

[moonriverfarm]

I cannot imagine why, if he had a gun with him and was in trouble, he did not fire off some shots as they had discussed.

 

[whatsnext]

I cannot imagine why, if he had a gun with him and was in trouble, he did not fire off some shots as they had discussed.

I find this troubling as well. That would have been a clear SOS sign, no matter if medical event, animal attack or whatever.

 

[doublestop]

I find this troubling as well. That would have been a clear SOS sign, no matter if medical event, animal attack or whatever.

Unless he had a disabling stroke that kept him from shooting the gun.

 

[Armchair63]

Could there have been a personality conflict.
When things get tough and stress is high tempers tend to flare up and things happen.

I do feel that his hunting buddy should have been with him to help him with the meat.so what was his partner doing at that time.

With all of the gear that they had , there should have been several more with them.I would say that both men were out of there element

 

[annpats]

I've expressed confusion about the logistics, also. It appears these men pulled to the side of the road in their vehicle, and carried ALL THEIR GEAR on their backs. For miles. On the soggy ground.

Yes, exactly. This is of thing guys in their 20s and 30s do for training in the army and marines etc.
Steve was 61, and it's a lot of distance to cover while constantly carrying tents, sleeping bags, clothing, spare boots, hunting gear and survival equipment for 2 separate camps.
I can't imagine how many trips to/from the van they must have made over soft boggy ground.
Plus if they were night hunting too, they would have been having broken sleep and rest.

I'd like to hear a more detailed logistical breakdown and time-scale of how and when it was all set up, and also their day and night time schedules.

 

[OddOneOut]

Could there have been a personality conflict.
When things get tough and stress is high tempers tend to flare up and things happen.

I do feel that his hunting buddy should have been with him to help him with the meat.so what was his partner doing at that time.

With all of the gear that they had , there should have been several more with them.I would say that both men were out of there element

His partner was trying to get his meat cut up and into the coolers. Leaving it out wouldn't have been a good idea. The plan could have been to get the meat at the camp in the coolers while the other went for the rest of the meat; then, both of them could work on the second pack when it arrived.

 

[annpats]

His partner was trying to get his meat cut up and into the coolers. Leaving it out wouldn't have been a good idea. The plan could have been to get the meat at the camp in the coolers while the other went for the rest of the meat; then, both of them could work on the second pack when it arrived.

I read Steve's partner had hunted a Caribou about 3 days before Steve, so this would be about day 4 when he was cutting it up for the coolers.
Should he not have had it done sooner than that? It seems like a long time to keep the meat hanging around at the camp.

MOO.

 

[Gardenista]

I read Steve's partner had hunted a Caribou about 3 days before Steve, so this would be about day 4 when he was cutting it up for the coolers.
Should he not have had it done sooner than that? It seems like a long time to keep the meat hanging around at the camp.

MOO.

I read the other day that if it's kept below 60 degrees, it's ok for a week. It also said you want a hard crust to form around it to help keep it fresh

 

[Gardenista]

In case anyone is interested, here's a step by step guide for field dressing. There's only one gross picture of the animal after it was skinned

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/hunting/pdfs/field_dressing_big_game_gutless_method.pdf

 

[neesaki]

I read Steve's partner had hunted a Caribou about 3 days before Steve, so this would be about day 4 when he was cutting it up for the coolers.
Should he not have had it done sooner than that? It seems like a long time to keep the meat hanging around at the camp.

MOO.

I was thinking the same.
I could never be a hunter, nor do I want to . I went hunting with my ex when I was in my early 20’s and shot a deer. It didn’t kill it and it ran off. It’s haunted me ever since, poor deer
Never again.

 

[neesaki]

I read the other day that if it's kept below 60 degrees, it's ok for a week. It also said you want a hard crust to form around it to help keep it fresh

Wouldn’t flies get on it? Assuming there are flies in Alaska?.

 

[OddOneOut]

I read Steve's partner had hunted a Caribou about 3 days before Steve, so this would be about day 4 when he was cutting it up for the coolers.
Should he not have had it done sooner than that? It seems like a long time to keep the meat hanging around at the camp.

MOO.

In another post, someone mentioned that the meat needed to be hung up to create a dry layer first. I don't think they said how long. Also, that seems like a lot of meat.