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Alpineholydog
Trad climber
Spring Tx
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Aug 28, 2013 - 01:43pm PT
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+10 high Traverse
My thoughts exactly.
Bothers me he did not take his helmet. Just seems weird given the fickle rock on climbs.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Aug 28, 2013 - 01:44pm PT
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jeg
thanks for repeating that information.
It was originally posted so far upthread it was fuzzy in my mind.
North notch from Cecile lake
North east snow field up to notch
West side of notch and surrounding gullies The east snow field up to notch - Cragman has been over the lower right hand end of that area as well.
Climbed to south notch from Cecile lake We can assume that area has been well traveled since Matt's disappearance.
Traversed to amphitheater lake over Michael Adams saddle
Climbed amphitheater gully There is a lot of steep ground on the Adams side (climbers left from Amphitheater Lake) of the Michael Adams saddle from Cecile Lake, including chimneys and ledges (I've climbed that left side, the route is not in any guidebooks)
He almost certainly couldn't have been missed in Amphitheater gully.
Checked upper reaches of the 3 west shoots of micheal
Checked register at Star plaque Walter A Starr Jr fell from near the top of Michael and landed on a ledge well above and right of the plaque. Clyde found his resting place high on the NW Face below the summit. Jules Eichorn and Norman Clyde climbed from the Eichorn/Michael notch up and right to reach his body. Eichorn had previously passed within about 100 feet of Starr without seeing him. That NW face remains a possible area.
Cecile lake west shore and slopes Very unlikely Matt is under the krumholz that's around Cecile Lake.
Slopes to the nw of iceberg lake The exit region of the big gullies/chasms coming down from Clyde Glacier.
This helps focus future search areas.
historical note: the Eichorn and Clyde minarets were named before they found Starr. The Starr minaret afterwards. These three young men knew the Minarets intimately and achieved some of the first major climbs in the region.
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phylp
Trad climber
Millbrae, CA
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Aug 28, 2013 - 01:48pm PT
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5 - Was struck walking along Minarets road between ski area and TH
@Supermama - I was the person who suggested this as place to look (as did one other person beside High Traverse), but not because I think it is likely. Like High Traverse and Rotting Johnny, I think it is an extremely low % scenario. Like less than 0.5% IMO.
But it is about the only thing non-climbers or non-professional personnel could do that hasn't been done. If done, it should be done in cooperation with the forest service personnel, to avoid putting oneself in danger as a pedestrian on a non-pedestrian road or creating a hazard on the road for others. Currently that road is closed to private vehicles, except for workers and campers from 7AM - 7PM daily.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Aug 28, 2013 - 02:02pm PT
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One new thought.
The back (SW) side of Adams is class 2 - 3 and easily reachable from South Notch. Has magnificent views. For Matt, a moderate day from the TH. He would want crampons and axe for South Notch if he was early in the morning.
A fall from Adams' south summit or the ridge to the Adams/Michael saddle would be down the precipitous, rugged (and unclimbed) east or NE face, far above Amphitheater Lake and very remote. That face could be scanned with binoculars from the summits of Clyde or Ken minarets. South Notch might be to low (12,000ft vs 11280 ft)
Secor 3d edition page 385 has aerial picture with NE face of Adams at upper left with big snowfield above Amphitheater Lake (not visible).
Tom Cochrane has a photo of the lower Adams E face, directly above (left of) Amph lake. Photo 23-00-26
Base of Amphitheater chute is the big talus slope falling to snowfield above Amph. lake in 23-00-15
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crusher
climber
Santa Monica, CA
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Aug 28, 2013 - 02:13pm PT
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Phylp and High Traverse, +++++ Ref. the side of the road down to THs, there is also a trail down the slope from the entrance booth that connects to the road below. It looks to be about 1.5 miles of trail and ends down below at Starkweather Lake. I've hiked out on this trail and it runs downslope from the road (west side of the road) from the booth. Not sure if the local authorities have checked down there (or off the side of the road) - but just for process of elimination someone should. I can't paste the picture in but here's a link to a map that includes where the entrance booth is and the trail to the (left) on the map. So you guys back east can see what we're talking about.
http://www.nps.gov/depo/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=142763
Sorry if this is redundant but perhaps it should be added to the "where to look" list if it hasn't been searched already.
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Aug 28, 2013 - 02:15pm PT
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LaHiker & Jeg
Jill, is that the search that was done on August 11th through 15th by Shawn, Adam, Chris, and Frank?
If so, do you know whether SplitPants has the trip report from that search, so she can incorporate it into her document and the website she's working on?
I am pretty sure I captured this information (belive it was posted by Teddy (though I dont know who that is). There were not really "details" per say of the trip, but mainly the bullet points Jeg/Jill posted above.
LaHiker,
Not sure of the names you mentioned. If you like PM me with more details so we dont clog the thread. Tx
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Aug 28, 2013 - 02:17pm PT
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I've made a Google Earth "map" of the Amphitheater Lake area showing E/NE faces of Adams highpoint(left) and lower North (right) Minaret
crusher a trail down the slope from the entrance booth that connects to the road below. I had wondered about that. Good info! Matt would certainly take that route if he were dropped off at Minaret Summit or the ski area lot. Would save him it least 3 miles.
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RM217
climber
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Aug 28, 2013 - 02:24pm PT
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Bothers me he did not take his helmet. Just seems weird given the fickle rock on climbs.
Is it unusual for Matt to hike without his helmet?
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kenish
Gym climber
Orange County, CA
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Aug 28, 2013 - 02:25pm PT
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High Traverse- Your scenario is great! My job includes failure analysis (an accident or missing person is the result of a chain of failures). You're instinctively or consciously applying "Occam's Razor"....when there's multiple theories and scenarios, pursue the one that has the fewest and the simplest assumptions. That doesn't rule out others but guides investigation down a path with the biggest chance of success.
Also, it's human nature to find patterns and create theories from facts that have no pattern or connection. Something to keep in mind as everyone helps in the search.
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Aug 28, 2013 - 02:26pm PT
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phylp/crusher/hightraverse
Good points/questions. I had on my to do list to send something out concerning "easier" areas to search. If someone can come up with a list of basic trails that some of us less skilled folks can handle that would be great. I already have on my list to check the campground site #164, plus the actual campground (who knows maybe matt put a note on his tent or board in the campground that just blew up into a tree or something) and surrounding area of the campground (including roadway in/out).
We are going to be up on the 6th for the race so we have some time over the weekend to check the campground and take a couple hikes. My husband and cousin are very experienced (husband used to climb, but no longer does so due to surgery in his neck and injury to hands and shoulder). He also reads topos etc....so he can take me with (lol dont depend on me for directions...else you may wind up in Alaska ha)
Thoughts on easier/intermediate area searches useful:)
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Aug 28, 2013 - 02:45pm PT
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Another Google Earth markup
The NE Face of the Clyde Minaret, the Clyde Glacier.
The 5.5 variation of the Rock Route that Matt climbed.
And the Clyde route from the top of the Clyde glacier
Also another perspective on Clyde/Eichorn/Michael minarets
The Red pin for Cragman is approximate and for his first trip. His recent trip took him at least to the top of that gully when is the one he looked down.
Remember, this summer's snow/ice coverage is significantly less than than in these images. See Cragman and Tom Cochrane.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Aug 28, 2013 - 02:52pm PT
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Kelly, Jill
I'm going to have to take a break now for the rest of the day and get on with work. Will come back this evening.
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maverick01
climber
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Aug 28, 2013 - 03:00pm PT
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Lot of emphasis is being placed on the South Notch area and
areas north of it.
Has Kehrlein-Starr Notch been checked? It requires crampons and
a ice axe, and Starr Minaret can be climbed on the way to the
Amphitheater Lake. Also the area above Deadhorse Lake could
be an area of interest if there was a fall, it seems to be an
area that hasn't attracted anyone's interest as of yet. He climbed
Riegelhuth Minaret earlier which shows he had interest in this
part of the Minarets too.
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canyoncat
Social climber
SoCal
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Aug 28, 2013 - 03:05pm PT
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I may have missed this in the thread somewhere, but has anyone tried tracker dogs yet? It seems as though there is no shortage of clothing that Matt has worn.
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whatmeworry2
Mountain climber
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Aug 28, 2013 - 03:39pm PT
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I apologize in advance if this has been mentioned up thread or if someone is already doing this, but...
If folks could use their GPS units on their trips into the backcountry it may be possible to begin building a more comprehensive and detailed map of areas that have been searched.
By turning on your track log (or similar) feature on your GPS you can log your travel. Saving track logs into discrete "trips" will facilitate keeping multiple logs and/or allow you to exclude segments at your discretion. Once downloaded onto a computer the logs can be shared and a composite search map created. This would provide a more detailed view to what Kelly has been compiling (edited post to add this).
Many of us don't always travel with a GPS unit, but in this instance it may make some sense and help contribute to the information being compiled on the search for Matt.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Aug 28, 2013 - 03:44pm PT
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Forgive me if this has already been addressed, I'm not reading 1000some posts to find out:
Any mtn lion activity in the area around those trails/trailheads?
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KellyDoesntClimb
Social climber
Dunwoody, GA
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Aug 28, 2013 - 03:45pm PT
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Freaky, y'all
Check this area on google maps. There is a RAINBOW over the Minarets.
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tdg119
Social climber
Northampton, PA
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Aug 28, 2013 - 03:48pm PT
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about him not taking his helmet - it was found in his car, if he left early in the morning, the garage was closed. im sure they had his keys and he could not get into his car at 3am. - Ron
EDIT: for tracker dogs - they are super expensive, there was a fire in the area, and we were told its been too long, the terrain is too difficult for dogs, etc...
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canyoncat
Social climber
SoCal
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Aug 28, 2013 - 04:01pm PT
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I thought occasionally trackers "volunteered" their dogs? As to it being too long, I'm constanting seeing stuff on TV where they try to track people months after they've been long gone. WTH?
If I were a relative, I'd sure be reaching out to see if I could find a volunteer, likelyhood of success or not.
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