Missing skier at Eiseman

[StanWagon]

I'm sure many of you have been following the story of the fellow who got lost on the way to Eiseman Hut about a week ago. None of the articles had any solid information about what he was wearing on his feet, etc., simply calling the group a group of "hikers". Here is some info that is hearsay, but seems solid:

They went in via Spraddle Creek.
The missing guy had a splitboard and was skinning up (which is why I used "skier" in the thread title).

A possible scenario is that he missed the left turn into the aspen-grove climb where Spraddle Creek was crossed, but that is only a guess. Certainly many people have missed that turn in the past. Whether he went all the way up Baldy, got injured somehow, etc., no one knows.

[SKIORFORGETIT]

hope there is a good ending here

[Danno]

Wow, hadn't heard anything about that. Is there a news link?

Yes, missing that turn is likely. My first time into that hut, my group missed the turn (and to add insult to injury, didn't believe me when I radioed them of that fact!). Other than that, it seems possible that you could miss the left turn up the "wall" to the hut?

[StanWagon]

Just google "eiseman hut mcgrogan" and you will get the news....

For a start:

http://www.beloitdailynews.com/news/...a4bcf887a.html

Briefly: He is a doctor from Indiana; he went ahead of the group at a rest stop. And has not been seen since.

A personal aside: in 1987 our group was heading from McNamara to Margy's Hut. One member went ahead at a rest stop. We got to hut. He was not there. He missed the last left turn at the high pass, descended the steep trail a ways, fell, hurt thumb, figured he should retrace back up, but could not. Continued down to the Diamond J Ranch; met up with us 2 days later (we did look for him on the layover day).

And while missing the L turn up the "wall" is possible, it seems unlikely to me, since all tracks in that area will (generally) be in the right direction.

[hikesalot]

http://www.vaildaily.com/news/106847...earch-mcgrogan

[Danno]

And while missing the L turn up the "wall" is possible, it seems unlikely to me, since all tracks in that area will (generally) be in the right direction.

Thanks for the info. And yes, I agree that it is unlikely to miss that turn, but maybe there weren't any tracks? Just speculating. But missing the turn out of Spraddle is definitely the most likely scenario.

The Beloit article said he had a GPS, FWIW (not much, obviously).

[Lindahl]

Had some friends miss the Eiseman turnoff a couple years ago during a storm, spent a cold night hugging in their sleeping bags then got out in the morning. Broke trail both ways though. Hard to get lost following those tracks.

[DasBlunt]

Scary stuff. Still no word eh?

[summit]

I don't think they are still searching?

Yes, a splitboarder with a GPS watch, backpack full of food and a sleeping bag.

I think if he was in Spraddle, he'd have been found.

[bloski]

http://www.vaildaily.com/news/106847...earch-mcgrogan

??????????????

[MakersTeleMark]

My first time into that hut, my group missed the turn.

No I didn't, and I was pretty hungover.

And, he did make the turn, btw.

[StanWagon]

Off topic: Just back in Moab after skiing Exxon's Folly on Tuk No. Chalky, but acceptable. Tough ascent (postholing) with crampons. Beautiful beautiful line. Plenty of snow -- 5 ft depth at the bottom. Low avy danger today. For pics and report see

http://stanwagon.com/wagon/LaSal/HTMLLinks/LaSal_1.html


Teaser: Exxon's Folly is the line straight off the summit of Tuk No, peak at right, 8000 feet above Moab.

[Danno]

No I didn't, and I was pretty hungover.

And, he did make the turn, btw.

Well, you weren't part of our group.

He made the turn? Where did he leave his friends? If he made that turn, and the article says they are searching at 11,400, that means that he either missed the turn to go up the wall, or went up the wall but somehow got lost on his way up and missed the hut?

[simple]

Have they found this guy yet?

[StanWagon]

There is nothing new reported that I know of.

[adrenalated]

This weird. Almost like the guy didn't want to be found. He had plenty of gear, and if you simply go downhill anywhere in the area, it might be a slog and a pain in the ass, but you'll end up in Vail. Unless he somehow got slid into a little gully or something; SAR would have probably noticed any slides on the open terrain.

[summit]

The confirmed last seen point physically was before the turn as far as I know...

[AyasFreeski]

Excellent book on this topic: http://www.canammissing.com/missing_411.html

Scary stuff. As far as that dude goes, ciao.

[summit]

Excellent book on this topic: http://www.canammissing.com/missing_411.html

Scary stuff.

Really TERRIBLE... guy wants $25 for a little book of "ghost" stories he uses to sell his Big Foot "cover up" theory. It has no place in this thread.

[theshredder]

I hope this turns out ok. I kinda know how it feels to go missing.

You go up to ridge top, you go back down to highway. Simple, right? Low cloud and dense fog made things not so simple. The panic when I realized I was in the wrong valley and the sun was setting was gnarly... My clothes were all soaked through with sweat at this point and yet I couldn't stop moving, even though I knew, logically, that if I just settled down, dug a snow cave and built a fire I would probably be fine for the night and get back to ridge top where there would be a view the next day and figure out where the fuck I was.

I was totally unprepared. I even left my headlamp behind that day. I had my compass though, which is what saved my ass. Still felt the fear though. Not fun at all. Shit can hit the fan quick.

[Danno]

any word or leads on this guy?

[Danno]

The post is reporting they found him: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_25...r-vail-missing

Where was he found relative to the hut/trail?

[StanWagon]

Wow. That is first I heard. Booth falls are a couple miles up the Booth drainage which is east of Spraddle and Middle creeks, the two drainages one climbs and crosses to get to eiseman. So he was quite lost.

[summit]

So he probably had to go all the way up Spraddle, around the north side of Bald, then down into Booth, probably realized he was lost, and made it as far down as the falls... woah... ?

[Danno]

Yeah, I found a topo online after posting. So hard to believe that he could make that mistake, especially when Vail is right there as a reference point, unless he had no clue where he was going and just expected "the trail" to take him there?