Deceased/Not Found CA - 1st Lt. Matthew Kraft, adult, didn't return from skiing trip, Kearsarge Pass, 23 Feb 2019

[Herat]

Today's inciweb update has information about the agencies in the search, and they used thermal imaging but only found animals:

"Highly experienced alpine skiers and mountaineers with Mono SAR, Inyo SAR, National Park Service, and Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center personnel have been deployed to the search area. Searchers are continuing to look for any clue or evidence linking Kraft to a particular search area. Additional ground searches are also being coordinated by multiple agencies if searchers feel they can be inserted safely- avalanche issues will remain a point of concern.

Air support is being coordinated with Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Fresno County Sheriff, California Highway Patrol, Air National Guard, China Lake Naval Weapons Base, and United States Marine Corps.

In addition, aircraft with thermal imagery has been flying with several points of interest have been identified – all have been followed up on and have been determined to be animal related."

It doesn't sound as if they have found any trace of him, yet

 

[LadyL]

I tried earlier to look for his FB posts, but it appears to me to be shut down.

not sure why it appears that way to you
it is still up
although he has not publicly posted since Dec.2018

https://www.facebook.com/mckraft823

 

[Herat]

When I go to that link, it says the page has been removed

 

[dspdenver]

When I go to that link, it says the page has been removed

I have to be signed into FB to get to it.

 

[zecats]

When I go to that link, it says the page has been removed

I can see it too. Not much to see since he doesn't post much and his page must be set for certain privacy on his friends, etc.

 

[Herat]

No updates yesterday from inciweb

No new photos

Discouraging

 

[Herat]

Inciweb updated this am, but with only 2 more photos of skiers and only a minor modification of the Information Page:

1. They delected the comments about searching Big Pothole Lake area near Kearsage Pass and the Budd Creek Canyon area.

2. This comment that seems so say they've found absolutely no trace since finding his vehicle:
"Searchers are continuing to look for any clue or evidence linking Kraft to a particular search area"

Looks beautiful up there today.

If only Lt Kraft had this fine weather for his epic journey

 

[zecats]

Inciweb updated this am, but with only 2 more photos of skiers and only a minor modification of the Information Page:

1. They delected the comments about searching Big Pothole Lake area near Kearsage Pass and the Budd Creek Canyon area.

2. This comment that seems so say they've found absolutely no trace since finding his vehicle:
"Searchers are continuing to look for any clue or evidence linking Kraft to a particular search area"

Looks beautiful up there today.

If only Lt Kraft had this fine weather for his epic journey

Why would they delete comments about searching a certain area? That seems strange. Why not just say nothing was found there, but it was still searched. Curious. IMO

Beautiful photos! Thanks !

 

[GuyfromCanada]

A multiagency search in California’s rugged Sierra Nevada mountains for a missing Marine who graduated from The Citadel in 2016 has been suspended.

“Beginning today the search operation will transition into a limited continuous search status until Kraft is found,” according to a statement.

Active search suspended for Marine, Citadel grad missing in California mountains

 

[zecats]

A multiagency search in California’s rugged Sierra Nevada mountains for a missing Marine who graduated from The Citadel in 2016 has been suspended.

“Beginning today the search operation will transition into a limited continuous search status until Kraft is found,” according to a statement.

Active search suspended for Marine, Citadel grad missing in California mountains

I had a feeling this would happen. Hard to hold out hope that he's still alive and with the area being so vast and still somewhat unstable, it's a tough search. . Still it's a shame. I wonder if the Marines will continue to hunt for him. I read in one report posted upthread where they wouldn't stop until he was found. Perhaps in the same capacity as the rest of SAR. They gave it a tremendous effort, for sure. Cheers to all those who go out to seek the ones who go missing in these areas and these conditions.

 

[Herat]

A multiagency search in California’s rugged Sierra Nevada mountains for a missing Marine who graduated from The Citadel in 2016 has been suspended.

“Beginning today the search operation will transition into a limited continuous search status until Kraft is found,” according to a statement.

Active search suspended for Marine, Citadel grad missing in California mountains

I'm sorry to hear this but considering the huge extent of the search area, it's really the only practical approach.

I found this interesting in the article:

"Aircraft with thermal and night vision capabilities were deployed but were not able to find any activity linked to Kraft, officials stated. Crews also deployed the RECCO Rescue System, an electronic device used to find people buried by avalanches."

For his family, I hope he is found soon this spring.

There's another guy still missing 7 years later, a bit farther north from where Lt Kraft last was:

https://www.climbing.com/people/van...appearance-of-a-climber-in-the-sierra-nevada/

It's rugged challenging territory.

 

[zecats]

I'm sorry to hear this but considering the huge extent of the search area, it's really the only practical approach.

I found this interesting in the article:

"Aircraft with thermal and night vision capabilities were deployed but were not able to find any activity linked to Kraft, officials stated. Crews also deployed the RECCO Rescue System, an electronic device used to find people buried by avalanches."

For his family, I hope he is found soon this spring.

There's another guy still missing 7 years later, a bit farther north from where Lt Kraft last was:

https://www.climbing.com/people/van...appearance-of-a-climber-in-the-sierra-nevada/

It's rugged challenging territory.

The thermal activity was proven to be related to animals, I believe. It was in an article posted previously. Maybe you @Herat posted it.

Ironically the missing guy from July 2013 is also a Matthew. Matthew Greene who went missing for similar reasons. No one knew where he went that day, he went alone, he had no way to be tracked. In fact, no one even knew he was missing for a week and a half because he was waiting in the area for his car to be repaired and only communicating occasionally. I followed that case extensively on another forum and on FB because he was from close by. And he was a teacher, taught in a school with a friend of mine.

 

[Herat]

Here's another interesting comment on the updated Inciweb about Lt Kraft:

"Search and rescue authorities have been unable to locate evidence of Kraft’s location along his planned route"

Yes, @zecats the thermal activity information was interesting. I guess that's how you find hibernating bears in the winter.

I followed Matthew Greene because of the area he appears to have gone missing in. It's close enough to Mammoth Lakes town that it can be a long dayhike and many locals have scoured the routes to his presumed destination and it's climbing approaches. Each summer another search party heads out hoping to find a trace, but so far nothing.

 

[zecats]

Here's another interesting comment on the updated Inciweb about Lt Kraft:

"Search and rescue authorities have been unable to locate evidence of Kraft’s location along his planned route"

Yes, @zecats the thermal activity information was interesting. I guess that's how you find hibernating bears in the winter.

I followed Matthew Greene because of the area he appears to have gone missing in. It's close enough to Mammoth Lakes town that it can be a long dayhike and many locals have scoured the routes to his presumed destination and it's climbing approaches. Each summer another search party heads out hoping to find a trace, but so far nothing.

BBM
Wouldn't that be indicative of avalanche? If he and all his gear were buried, there would be no trace, at least at the moment, I'd think.

I hope every summer to find that someone has discovered MG's location. His family even helped search with an SAR local one summer. It's been such a difficult task because no one knows exactly where to search for him. Only hunches and some torn pages from his map book. I hope that MK is found much much sooner than this.

 

[Herat]

I'd say the general consensus is that Lt Kraft was killed and buried by an avalanche. Considering the weather, it isn't surprising that there were no tracks of his to follow. When the snow is really retreating he'll be found. My guess would be by May.

It's really tragic he couldn't have waited another 3 weeks to do his trek. The weather pattern has certainly changed and had he been able to start this week I think he would have made it with a grand story to tell.

I do think that MG is out there in the Mammoth backcountry and will be found.

 

[zecats]

I'd say the general consensus is that Lt Kraft was killed and buried by an avalanche. Considering the weather, it isn't surprising that there were no tracks of his to follow. When the snow is really retreating he'll be found. My guess would be by May.

It's really tragic he couldn't have waited another 3 weeks to do his trek. The weather pattern has certainly changed and had he been able to start this week I think he would have made it with a grand story to tell.

I do think that MG is out there in the Mammoth backcountry and will be found.

I believe you are right about MK. I hope you are right about MG.

 

[Tripod]

Thanks for the continuing updates re: 1st Lt. Kraft.

 

[zecats]

Search not completely done. More like limited with qualifiers. Makes sense at this point.

Search scaled back for Marine lieutenant missing in California mountains for nearly 2 weeks

Now the interagency search effort that is looking for Kraft is shutting down its command post and ground search efforts are being suspended until the summer, said Sintia C. Kawasaki-Yee, a spokeswoman for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

"We are not presuming Mr. Kraft dead; we are merely scaling down search operations," Kawasaki-Yee told Task & Purpose.

With the command post closed, park rangers will "not be focused on this incident all day," she said, while flight crews will "keep this in the back of their mind" whenever they fly over the park area.

Kawasaki-Yee insisted that the search for Kraft is not over because ground search operations will resume in a couple of months.

"Our rangers and staff will continue to search," she said. "We are just waiting for the conditions to improve to be able to get more rangers out there safely in areas that we weren't able to search with ground crews at this time of year. As the snow begins to melt, as wilderness rangers begin to deploy out to the wilderness, they will also be searching for clues.

"The Marine Corps, along with the other assisting agencies, will continue to stand by and support Kraft's family, friends, and Marines during this difficult time," said 1st Marine Division spokesman Capt. Paul Gainey.

 

[watcher9]

Trying to home in on an area, would it be possible for them to make a projected time line on his traveling route against the time of each of the avalanches and see which one he could have been caught in or between?

 

[Herat]

Trying to home in on an area, would it be possible for them to make a projected time line on his traveling route against the time of each of the avalanches and see which one he could have been caught in or between?

I don't believe there is anyway to establish when the many avalanches up there occurred. There are no roads, only trails and they are snow-covered.

This isn't an area that gets routine air surveillance and the weather that occurred during the dates of his trip would have grounded most all air traffic because of wind and blizzard conditions. It's just too remote to have that kind of information