CA CA - Than Trong Quang Separated From Hiking Group at Red Lake/Split Mountain at Inyo National Forest

[imstilla.grandma]

The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a missing hiker they say disappeared earlier in the week.

They received a call Monday for the missing hiker at Red Lake/Split Mountain. Than Trong Quang and two others left Red Lake trailhead early on Aug. 21 to climb the north slope of Split Mountain.

At approximately 13,000 feet, one member of the hiking party waited 60-90 minutes for Quang and another party member. Quang had indicated he would fall behind, wait for them, or head down.

He was last seen around 3:00 p.m., while the other two members made it back to the car 3:30 a.m. Monday morning.

Quang did not return to pick up a helmet and jacket he had stashed, and the other members of the party did not see him on their descent.

Search and rescue teams looked for Quang in the Red Lake area for several days afterwards, but found no evidence of him.

The hot weather and high elevations were cited by search and rescue teams as factors that have complicated the efforts to find Quang.

Anyone with relevant information is asked to call the Inyo County Sheriff’s Dispatch at 760-878-0383.

Inyo County Sheriff’s Office searching for missing hiker

The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a missing hiker they say disappeared earlier in the week.

www.kolotv.com

 

[YaYa_521]

Hiker missing for days after splitting from group on California mountain, officials say

The search is still on for a California man who went missing after being separated from his group while hiking Split Mountain in the Sierra Nevada, officials say. Than&nbsp…

www.dailypress.com

SBM
Red Lake trail is known to be steep, unmaintained and not traveled very often,... [snip] Split Mountain, a common destination of Red Lake, is considered challenging for hikers. Taking an average of 11 hours and 49 minutes to complete, it has an out-and-back trail that is 13.7 miles in length and 7,444 feet in elevation gain, according to the All Trails website.

 

[SquirrelNutkin]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0zwQAodc2LUrLnAAeWWbDT2XtzBi1DdJDQWVEsPZhtA6Fk7zEsCxw7s87R3aQZD78l&id=100068808202729

 

[imstilla.grandma]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0zwQAodc2LUrLnAAeWWbDT2XtzBi1DdJDQWVEsPZhtA6Fk7zEsCxw7s87R3aQZD78l&id=100068808202729

I hope someone reaches out to a volunteer commenter who is licensed as an FAA drone pilot.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Hiker missing for days after splitting from group on California mountain, officials say

The search is still on for a California man who went missing after being separated from his group while hiking Split Mountain in the Sierra Nevada, officials say. Than&nbsp…

www.dailypress.com

SBM
Red Lake trail is known to be steep, unmaintained and not traveled very often,... [snip] Split Mountain, a common destination of Red Lake, is considered challenging for hikers. Taking an average of 11 hours and 49 minutes to complete, it has an out-and-back trail that is 13.7 miles in length and 7,444 feet in elevation gain, according to the All Trails website.

The Red Lake trail looks harmless at the beginning, a lot of brush and rocks, leading to the more scenic and difficult hike Up Split Mountain.

 

[Speculaytor]

The Red Lake trail looks harmless at the beginning, a lot of brush and rocks, leading to the more scenic and difficult hike Up Split Mountain.

The terrain looks rough, but not full of trees that would hide someone if drones were deployed? I am not sure, but it looks like drones, close enough to the ground, would be able to see him if he was in bright clothing, or had colors different from terrain. Praying.

 

[dalsglen]

The Red Lake trail looks harmless at the beginning, a lot of brush and rocks, leading to the more scenic and difficult hike Up Split Mountain.

oh jeez. I thought the bottom road looked bad with all those tight bushes hiding God knows what. That mountains pure shale.

I wonder at what part they separated?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Drone pilots with the Tulare County Sheriff's Office are now helping with the search for Than who was last seen on Monday, August 22 near the peak of Split Mountain Sunday between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Currently, Tulare County Drone Pilots are collaborating in search efforts with the National Parks Service and Inyo County Sheriff’s Office to help locate the 66-year-old hiker who was attempting to climb Split Mountain in the Sierra National Forest.

Split Mountain · California 93513

★★★☆☆ · Mountain peak

goo.gl

Drone pilots assist in search for missing hiker in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Drone pilots are taking to the skies to aid in the ongoing search for missing hiker Quong Trong Than who disappeared August 22.

kmph.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1564081654112583680

 

[JerseyGirl]

Tulare County drone pilots join search for missing hiker in Sierra National Forest

Search and rescue teams continue to look for Quang Trong Than, a hiker who went missing over a week ago while attempting to climb Split Mountain.

www.visaliatimesdelta.com

 

[SquirrelNutkin]

Tulare County drone pilots join search for missing hiker in Sierra National Forest

Search and rescue teams continue to look for Quang Trong Than, a hiker who went missing over a week ago while attempting to climb Split Mountain.

www.visaliatimesdelta.com

The article says that Quang Trong Than got separated at the base of the summit. Was this midway through the hike or the beginning? Could he have turned back or not started hiking at all?

 

[annpats]

Red Lake, is considered challenging for hikers. Taking an average of 11 hours and 49 minutes to complete, it has an out-and-back trail that is 13.7 miles in length and 7,444 feet in elevation gain, according to the All Trails website.

Ooof, nearly a mile and a half up!

I'm convinced this poor man has had a medical incident up there. This hike sounds tough for a young person to do, nevermind for someone who is 66 years old!

 

[getthefax]

Ooof, nearly a mile and a half up!

I'm convinced this poor man has had a medical incident up there. This hike sounds tough for a young person to do, nevermind for someone who is 66 years old!

Agree. It is hard to imagine doing these hikes alone at that age. Note to myself not to try to do strenuous backwoods activity solo, or allow my friends to do so, without personal emergency locator beacons.

 

[charminglane]

This is going to be a brutal week of hot weather for everyone in CA.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/tulare/93274/daily-weather-forecast/337280

Prayers for Mr. Quang, his family, and the searchers who put their own lives at risk for others.

 

[LAhiker]

The article says that Quang Trong Than got separated at the base of the summit. Was this midway through the hike or the beginning? Could he have turned back or not started hiking at all?

The "base of the summit" is very far into the hike. As I understand it, first you hike up to Red Lake, and then you hike up to a saddle that's between two peaks (the "Split" part of the mountain) -- I think one of those peaks is the main one -- and then you hike up to the summit. And none of the hiking is easy -- apparently in many places, there isn't a clear trail.

I could be wrong, but based on reports from various agencies, it sounds like hiked up past Red Lake (and stashed a helmet & jacket there) and then made it up to the saddle between the two peaks, or possibly beyond, and then, at an altitude around 1000 feet below the summit, waved the others on. There was no clear plan made as to whether he would wait for the others and turn back. It sounds like he was having trouble keeping up -- maybe he had altitude sickness or some other medical issue? He had climbed many similar mountains before, but altitude sickness can be unpredictable.

It was also a very hot day, so he might have had heat-related illness or dehydration. It sounds like he's very fit -- age is less crucial than fitness. But heat can really do you in, especially if you haven't become adapted to it. Altitude sickness, heat exhaustion, and dehydration can all affect your judgment and thinking and could have contributed to going off the trail, which on that mountain is hard to find anyway.

I'm guessing he started back and took a wrong turn, which apparently is easy to do up there. Or perhaps he fell -- there are lots of drop-offs and slippery slopes up there, especially if you get off-track. If he fell, even if he wasn't seriously injured, he might not have been able to go back up. He might've gotten stuck in a place where he was unable to go up or down, or he might have ended up going further down, in God only knows what direction.

I hope he's found safe soon!

JMO

 

[TheMadScientist]

I have nothing current to help with this search, but know the area well because my uncle worked for Dept. of Water and Power of Los Angeles living in supplied houses on Taboose Creek, Aberdeen and most of the time in a house he owned in Big Pine. I did hike (with 3 other friends) one of the closest areas just south of this place, but it was 50 years ago before cell phones. Turn left at Independence and up to the 9,000 ft. Onion Valley to park, up the trail to Kearsarge Pass, Bull frog lake the first night, over Glen Pass to Rae Lakes the 2nd night. We had a "survival 22 rifle", saw a single bear that didn't cause us problems, fished for food and all of us stayed together. Great signage along these trails with very similar terrain seen in this Red Lake case. Looking at the maps, very long dirt road to get from Hwy. 395 along Tenamaha creek just get to the Red Lake Trailhead IF YOU KNEW WHERE YOU WERE GOING. Then it looks like a very long hike just to get to Red Lake and after that, terrain I have done only once in my life (did I mention 50 years ago?). If everyone can't STAY TOGETHER, STAY HOME.

 

[Seni]

Search-and-rescue efforts scaled back for hiker missing in Sierra National Forest

Search-and-rescue efforts for Quang Trong Than, a hiker who went missing 10 days ago while attempting to climb Split Mountain, are being scaled back.

www.visaliatimesdelta.com

Search-and-rescue efforts for a missing hiker are being scaled back.

Quang Trong Than, 66, of Newport Beach, was last seen by two hikers in his group at the peak of Split Mountain — about 13,200 feet — on Aug. 21.

"...while searching will continue, the large number of resources and personnel that have been dedicated to this effort will be reduced," said Rebecca Paterson, public affairs specialist with the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. "The search will remain in limited continuous mode until Than is found."

 

[SquirrelNutkin]

Search-and-rescue efforts scaled back for hiker missing in Sierra National Forest

Search-and-rescue efforts for Quang Trong Than, a hiker who went missing 10 days ago while attempting to climb Split Mountain, are being scaled back.

www.visaliatimesdelta.com

Search-and-rescue efforts for a missing hiker are being scaled back.

Quang Trong Than, 66, of Newport Beach, was last seen by two hikers in his group at the peak of Split Mountain — about 13,200 feet — on Aug. 21.

"...while searching will continue, the large number of resources and personnel that have been dedicated to this effort will be reduced," said Rebecca Paterson, public affairs specialist with the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. "The search will remain in limited continuous mode until Than is found."

It is so sad he has not been found. Because he was a seasoned hiker I find it hard to believe he would wander far from the trail.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Hiker missing 15 days in Sierra Nevada after attempt to reach 14,000-foot summit

The other two hikers took a wrong turn on their descent and didn’t get back to the car until 3:30 a.m. Their companion was not there.

www.eastbaytimes.com

 

[ItalyReader]

In trying to understand what happened here, it sounds like he said he would either wait for them or head back.
Since the others did not return by the same path (they took a wrong turn), he may have been waiting a long time and may have decided to head back.
Maybe he got lost, or maybe he made it back to the car but didn’t have the keys, maybe he met someone with unkind intentions there.
Or, like his hiking companions he too took a wrong turn.
Very sad and odd.

 

[ItalyReader]

He survived an avalanche on Everest. Then he disappeared on a California mountain.

Quang Thân summitted the world's tallest peaks: Kilimanjaro, Aconagua, Denali. He survived an avalanche on Everest. On a routine hike, he disappeared.

eu.usatoday.com