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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Onyerleft!
Good job checking, I'd been wondering about that too since someone posted the possibility.
Thanks
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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Foul play (is) a possible here ... Why bother foul playing a mountaineer, they are experts at it themselves.
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onyourleft
climber
Smog Angeles
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I stopped at the kiosk at Minaret Vista and spoke with the Rangers.
They have a picture of Matt on the outside of the kiosk and hand out a slip of paper with Matt's name on it with a number to call with any information. They stated they had no new news to share. I asked about various routes to the valley floor. If Matt had come this way on foot and had intended to climb in the Northern Ritter Range , they assured me that the shortest path to Agnew Meadows was indeed the paved road. If Matt's intended objective had been more southerly, like say the southern Minarets, then he might have taken the Starkweather foot trail which meets the paved road at Starkweather Lake.
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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onyourleft
First, thank you VERY much for taking the time to contribute in the search for Matt. It is much appreciated especially by Matt's family and his friends and all of us here on this thread. I also thank you for posting your search activity and results here on the forum. I have also captured this information behind the scenes in a place we use to document the activities.
If you have additional details of your search that you would like to communicate please feel free to send me a PM.
Again, thank you very much:)
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Supermama
Social climber
pa
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Onyourleft...
Thank you! I was one of the people who suggested the possibility of a hit-and-run since evidence indicated that he left in the dark. Thanks for looking!
Another thought that has been eating at me, and I apologize if this has already been discussed earlier, is the man who was arrested on Monday morning after Matt's disappearance. He had just been released from jail and was found with a gun, harassing people in the area. Was this man questioned about Matt?
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LAhiker
Social climber
Los Angeles
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@Supermama, Good question. I don't know whether Johnny Pulido (I think his full name is Pulido-Gonzalez) was questioned about Matt, but I believe that Mammoth Lakes Police Chief Dan Watson posted on the "Find Matthew Greene" Facebook page that Pulido committed his alleged crimes and was arrested ~200 miles from Mammoth Lakes. (I hadn't heard anything about Pulido having been recently released from prison, however.)
ETA: I took Supermama to be saying that she'd heard Pulido had been released from prison just prior to his recent alleged crimes.
@Onyourleft -- thanks for searching the area next to that road!!!
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Supermama/LAHiker
Chief Watson looked into this. I believe a while back he posted a response to this on the Facebook page. I can also tell you when I spoke to him on the phone last week he mentioned he did follow up with this item by calling the authorities for those two areas.
As a note both of the areas referenced are quite a distance south of Mammoth. The Pearsonville Shell (first major gas station past Mojave when enroute to Mammoth) is about 150 miles from Mammoth. It is not a good place to stop we usually try to avoid it if possible (something is just off about the place).
The second area mentioned in the articles Kennedy Meadows is over 200 miles from Mammoth.
So in effect I believe any association to this incident has been ruled out.
[EDIT] If you have additional questions please feel free to send me a PM
Thanks.
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kenish
Gym climber
Orange County, CA
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The last few posts above are correct on location. There are several "Kennedy Meadows" in the Sierras; an online search often leads to areas closer to Mammoth but not relevant to Matt.
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onyourleft
climber
Smog Angeles
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Has anyone considered further the possibility that Matt may have stayed closer to town?
For someone walking from Shady Rest, in the dark, in the middle of the night, the Minarets and the Ritter Range are quite the trek just to get to a trailhead.
Earlier in Matt's climbing tick list, he had climbed on Crystal Crag. He would have seen the Mammoth Crest from that airy summit, and nearly two months ago, there might have appeared enticing snow routes.
A pre-dawn start from Shady Rest, one could walk up Old Mammoth Road into the Lakes Basin to access several trailheads leading up to the "then" snow line. I know the obvious snow lines near Ritter and the Minarets have been admirably and heroically searched by Cragman and his partners, but I just keep wondering if there's something to be found nearer to town?
Respectfully, to friends and family.
Like so many others, I wish terribly for your closure.
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Todd Quinn
Trad climber
Oceanside, CA
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Onyourleft
Thank you for searching the road. Good chance Matt was walking back in the dark. I believe we all can agree on that?
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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I just keep wondering if there's something to be found nearer to town?
There is alot of people in town for the holiday (more eyes around), but they don't venture too much farther than the parking lots of_ stores as far as I can see. I look for Matt in the obscure areas I go bouldering pretty close by, to no avail.
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Onyourleft +100
Thank you VERY much for taking the time to help search:). It means a lot!
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pacarockhound
Social climber
Escondido CA
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Yes, onyourleft thank you for searching.
Someone on Find Matthew Greene FB page just suggested that the mechanics could be a clue. Have they been thoroughly checked? It seems strange that they kept changing the date and postponing.....how long does it take to get a part these days? Were all the people who worked there interviewed?
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James Wilcox
Boulder climber
The Coast
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Keep in mind that the repair shop is a Goodyear tire store that is also doing engine repair, in a rural community. Basic repairs like replacing brake pads/shoes is probably the type of work they'd rather perform.
There's a lot of factors that lend itself to delays. Parts availability, size of staff(and skill) etc.
Foul play, while a possibility, seems rather unlikely. Matt has seemed to have disappeared without a trace. And I have to think that if some moron had done this there would be some sort of evidence left behind.
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tdg119
Social climber
Northampton, PA
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FWIW, in regards to the head gasket, they had to order one part, then when it came in they realized another part had to be machined. Just didn't have their stuff together. I can't tell you how many times I say 'if only they'd have just fixed his car in a decent time, he'd have been on and gone and this never would have happened". But in the same respect, Matt could have taken his car elsewhere, rented a car, etc. It sucks, but it is what it is.
What I don't understand is why he wasn't reported missing earlier by the repair shop (considering he was obviously eager for his car to be done; surely it's a red flag that once it's done you don't hear back from Matt).
Likewise, he paid an additional night at the campground, all his gear still there but they didn't report him missing either. Threw his stuff in storage and when my parents called asking about retrieving Matt's stuff (after the story was common knowledge)? The first words they heard from the campground was that Matt owed them $100. Really? Despicable.
~ Tiffany
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Supermama
Social climber
pa
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Cragman,
Thank you for all that you have done. Being on the other side of the country and a non-climber the only help I can offer is to support the family and community with my computer and research skills. I have been passing what I have found on to Split Pants. After reading through older threads I came across the post below. Were you able to search this area or is this an area to put on the to be checked list?
"Spoke to a Veteran Mono SAR Team Mbr yesterday who works next door to my office in Bishop that was up in the area searching this past weekend. Asked him if they checked the moat along both sides of the Ritter/Banner snowfield. This time of the year they can separate wide enough to allow a human to fall into and then continue down pretty damn far. Up to 30 maybe even 50 feet. Seen em that wide on just that location some 14 years ago. I also personally know how deep they can get. I fell into one on a descent from Black Bear Lake coming over Granite Park Spire Col two years ago. I caught myself before plunging into a black abyss. It was deeper than shet I tell ya. Had I fallen in and got knocked out, (I was solo), I would have NEVER been found."
Please let us know if this should be added or crossed off the list of places to search.
Supermama
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LAhiker
Social climber
Los Angeles
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Cragman, thank you for your bravery, your hard work, your experience with SAR, and your insights. I agree that the Ritter Range is a very likely location. As you say, his gear, his interests, his fitness, would all be consistent with a big hike there. Your trip reports give one a good sense of the vastness and extremely rugged nature of the area. As you note, just because Matt hasn’t been found there yet doesn’t mean he won’t be.
That said, I’m glad that you acknowledge that he might have gone elsewhere. Whether in the Ritter Range or elsewhere, I’m trying to factor in what Tiffany said:
no helmet (matt does not forget, he is borderline OCD)= no epic climb
no mention of it the night before while texting = no epic climb
solo = no epic climb
day trip = no epic climb
car is going to be ready tomorrow and he is planning leaving early and driving a huge distance = no epic climb
Now, of course, Matt may have planned to do something that most of us would regard as epic and he did not. He may have been tempted to do something bigger than usual. He may not have been as certain he was leaving the next day as we think. Maybe family members tend to overestimate a relative’s caution – I don’t know. But, though clearly something went wrong, everyone says Matt was relatively cautious and methodical.
So, what are some non-epic, or slightly less epic, things Matt might have done? In the Ritter Range, climbing Ritter would be regarded as epic, right? I gather that the standard cross-country route involving Ediza, Cecile, and Minaret Lakes is less epic, but then we have the question of why Matt brought the ice axe and crampons. Are there other objectives in the Ritter Range that are “slightly less epic” but which would require ice axe and crampons (but no helmet, even for someone who usually wore one if needing protection from falling ice or rock)? In any event, if he went somewhere in the Ritter Range, there’s the issue of getting to the trailhead. But maybe he had a ride – maybe that’s why he was up before 3am.
In terms of other areas, Matt had gone to the Mammoth Crest area at least three times before on the trip. On 6/29, he did rock climbing at Crystal Crag with Jill and John. On 7/7 he hiked from Emerald Lake to Mammoth Crest. On 7/12, he went to Mammoth Crest by himself. Do we have any more details on the last two trips? Maybe he said something to Jill or John that might indicate other promising objectives in the area? We don’t know whether Matt had had his fill of that area or whether he still had places he wanted to go there. As Onyourleft notes, however, it’s more accessible from town.
Other, probably less likely possibilities have been mentioned. At one point, MGuzzy suggested that Matt might have gotten up early to watch the sun rise from the top of Mammoth Mountain, though I don’t think he would have needed ice axe and crampons up there, unless he was going elsewhere afterward.(Also, isn't it likely he'd have been found already?)
Maybe there will be more clarity when the family gets access to Matt’s email accounts. In the meantime, my question to those of you who know the area – what are some slightly less epic (or even non-epic) things Matt could have done, whether in the Ritter Range or elsewhere?
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Unless things have changed the nearest machine shop is bishop and that place usually is backed up because it's a one man operation...Did anyone hike stark weather trail...? It can be ridden by mt. bike so i'm guessing it would be hard to get hurt hiking it...? Ritter for some reason sounds like a good call...Maybe because of the sketchy move near the top of the north col..? Mammoth Crest would be another place to look with so many possible spots to hike and scramble...? How frustrating..
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kenish
Gym climber
Orange County, CA
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Several friends here in the LA area own Subarus. Since it's not Toyota or Chevy, parts can take awhile to get. The engine is an unusual configuration and independent shops don't see one everyday, especially since they're a reliable car. For those reasons my friends tend to stick with the dealer.
An indie shop with no part inventory and 5 hours from LA or SF will wait at least 2 days for parts. A head gasket is a major repair and they no doubt discovered additional parts that had to be ordered as they worked on the car.
IMHO the serial delays in completing repairs aren't surprising and it's a stretch to read anything sinister into it.
Taking many days to report the car unclaimed is curious, though. It could be as simple as the person who works with customers and payments was on vacation and the backup person overlooked Matt's car since it had been around for a long time. Was it confirmed Matt was told his car would be ready within a day and that he said he'd pick it up ASAP?
If Matt was on what he felt was his last Sierra adventure for the year, that's a caution flag. I don't climb, but in "risky" activities I've been involved in, many accidents happen on the "last" run....mountain biking, flying, MX, skiing, etc. And the cause of the mishap is usually something very simple.
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