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tdg119
Social climber
Northampton, PA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 09:36am PT
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The optometrist here in pa just opened. Tiffany is on her way there now to get the scripts. - Ron
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fluffy
Trad climber
Colorado
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Aug 24, 2013 - 09:36am PT
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glasses like those show up at my local trailheads quite frequently...right up there with keys and baby/kids items. on a semi-weekly basis.
perhaps folks take them off to hike after driving to the trails and fail to secure them properly.
hope you're on the right track, this thread is gettin pretty wild.
nice detective work y'all.
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splitter
Trad climber
SoCal Hodad, surfing the galactic plane
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Aug 24, 2013 - 09:40am PT
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jeg - He just bought those boots this Spring...He doesn't hike/climb with "extra stuff". He would drop it off at his car up the street if he didn't want to leave it at the camp site. It appears as though he left camp rather early on the morning of the 17th. I was speculating that his car was locked inside the shop and not accessible until later in the morning. It's not unusual for someone to make last moment adjustments to there normal practices for whatever reasons. For example; didn't trust some fellow camper[s], or whatever, and at the last moment simply decided to take certain valuable items with him. Highly unlikely perhaps, but not out of the question. Someone asked why would he bring his ice gear with him if he didn't intend to use it, I just threw that out there. Like most others, I suspect that he simply decided to get in one last day in on rock, snow & ice somewhere and, unfortunately, didn't make it back to camp. Also, during the lapse of time (since he left camp & was reported missing/his campsite investigated) perhaps someone rifled through his tent and nabbed the pack and anything that looked valuable that they could fit in it including the boots, etc!
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LAhiker
Social climber
Los Angeles
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Aug 24, 2013 - 09:46am PT
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I think one of Matt’s relatives said that he always wore either contacts or glasses, which to me implies nearsightedness. A friend of his over on Facebook says that Matt “never wore his glasses for outdoor activities. But he was having more and more trouble with his contacts and always switching back and forth. So maybe he did start wearing his glasses and therefore, purchased the Chums to wear with them.” (hope it's okay to quote)
Because the glasses in the Facebook photo aren’t the same as the ones that Alex found, though they look similar, the question in my mind is whether he would BRING a pair of glasses with him on a hike/climb. If so, and assuming he went on a hike/climb, he had to have more than one pair, because the ones in the Facebook photo were found in his camping gear. The ones that Alex found could be that other pair.
On the other hand, if he would have gone hiking/climbing without bringing any glasses as backup, those could be someone else’s glasses. (If that’s the case, the glasses either don’t have a strong prescription or the person has a backup. I couldn’t get 50 yards without my glasses…)
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tdg119
Social climber
Northampton, PA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 09:57am PT
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Here's Matt's eye RXs from 2-1-13
Glasses:
OD - 2.75 - 0.75 x 175
OS - 2.75 - 1.00 x 005
Contacts:
OD - 8.6 / 14.5 - 2.50 - 0.75 x 180
OS - 8.6 / 14.5 - 2.50 - 1.25 x 180
Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism
Hope that means something; my eyes are good so it's Greek to me.
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 10:20am PT
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Seems great progress is being made!
Cragman,
EXCELLENT point about Rite-Aid
srbphoto -can you help (see MGuzzy comments)
Wish I could have done more with the picture of the glasses.
On another note I took a field trip last night to Rite-Aid around the corner. I lucked out as there was a district manager in the store. Without giving the person any details (as I didn't want to get anyone in trouble) about this situation I asked them how difficult it was to obtain purchase detail and corresponding video. Basically she said not too difficult to obtain the purchase information (my original assumption was correct, they need the date of the transaction, amount and last 4 digits of the card). However, she did say that in store they can't go back more than 30 days. Next I asked her how hard it would be to obtain the video once a date/time/register is knows and she said not too difficult, BUT she did state that the video gets overwritten after a certain amount of time:( She said the overwrite time varies and she didn't know the specific duration.
She indicated that since it has been more than 30 days it may be an issue getting the information directly from the store (especially if the store has resource shortages). She recommended calling the store again and if you cannot get results from the store manager ask for the district manager name and phone number AND she also recommended the following:
-Contact Rite-Aid corporate at 1-800-748-3243 explain the situation and ask them for the name of a corporate contact and get that persons phone AND fax number (likely not in until Monday)
-She said due to Privacy laws they might not release the information (again go back to the local store with a sense of urgency).
-She recommended a family member write a letter summarizing what happened, attach a news article as proof, a copy of Matts ID if available AND most important have the letter notarized (this helps provide proof of family member). She also stated that the letter should firmly request that Rite-Aid retain the data and video from the store (provide the store information in the letter) as it is part of a law enforcement investigation
Then she said what I have thought all along. If Rite-Aid were to receive a warrant they would be forced to comply within a very short period of time (usually 48 hours). Has MLPD sent out any warrants for anything related to information on this case?
I have felt for a while that important information from Rite-Aid, Library and campground registry has been missing. I think the Rite-Aid purchase detail is very important and the video may be useful as well. Someone stated Matts clothes were washed and folded. If we knew what he was wearing at Rite-Aid, plus the clothes that were picked up perhaps his family and close friends from those 2 pieces of information could come to a firm understanding of what exactly Matt would have been wearing on the 17th. Also, the video might show what glasses Matt was wearing (if any).
If possible can the family appoint a Mammoth local to represent the family and Matts interest in Mammoth?
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 10:32am PT
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On another note if anyone feels that putting together a detailed timeline and fact sheet would be helpful let me know. I have the time to do this. I could put it in google docs so that it can be updated/edited by family and friends.
Thanks and I hope for the best!
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tdg119
Social climber
Northampton, PA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 10:33am PT
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+1 to Klimmer and Cragmans posts
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tdg119
Social climber
Northampton, PA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 10:35am PT
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Split pants if you do that and manage it THAT WOULD BE AWESOME.
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 10:36am PT
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tdg119
Can do. Gonna grab coffee and the start on it. I will use all of the information from these 800+ posts. If there are other places that may have additional information let me know and I will be sure to pull that in as well.
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KellyDoesntClimb
Social climber
Dunwoody, GA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 10:51am PT
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Hey I am an online friend of Tiffany's and fought sleep last night reading all the posts about the eyeglasses, until about 3AM when I gave up. I am pinning places mentioned on a google map and will post a screen shot for all to see. It may already be done but it helps ME being a non-climber and across the USA... Praying for his safe return!
I think my in law's were possibly in the area in July. I will ask.
The area is so beautiful, from what I can see on google!
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LAhiker
Social climber
Los Angeles
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Aug 24, 2013 - 10:53am PT
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The prescription for Matt's glasses indicates serious nearsightedness -- I don't think it's for a pair of reading glasses. Is there a way to find out or approximate the prescription for the glasses that Alex found? I think someone posted that Mammoth Hospital might have equipment for this. Or an optician in Mammoth might be able to do this.
One way short of that to get a little more info about the glasses would be for someone with a known and similar prescription to look through them. I mean, someone who's seriously nearsighted might be able to tell whether glasses that Alex found are a pair of reading glasses, which might imply that they have a very different prescription from the one Tiffany got from the optician.
(The glasses that Alex found don't look super-thick, but you can't really tell from that, because these days they can make glasses fairly thin even if the prescription is strong.)
ETA: Alex says they were thick.
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KellyDoesntClimb
Social climber
Dunwoody, GA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 10:56am PT
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Tiffany I have a lower prescription (as in his eyesight is worse) and would feel LOST without being able to see. He _needed_ contacts or glasses or would have been really disoriented IMHO. I really hope the Rx matches the eyeglasses found.
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 11:01am PT
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SplitPants....good on ya!!!!
Cragman> Thanks, but GOOD on you! You are an amazing individual and next time we are an June if I see you in the Tiger Bar we are buying you drinks:)
Tiffany/Ron
Can you tell me what date Matt arrived in Mammoth and what date his car broke down? Thanks
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tdg119
Social climber
Northampton, PA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 11:02am PT
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I called the optometrist to get a feel for hat the RX means in latent terms.
Basically, he said that with glasses he could view an object from 200 feet away. Without glasses, he'd have to be within 20 feet of that same object to see it. And that's in perfect daylight.
Edit: he said he could see arms length, less depending on light.
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Jilli
Trad climber
Livermore, California/ Dunedin NZ
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Aug 24, 2013 - 11:07am PT
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One more thing...
SplitPants-Also has anyone checked Bishop Gear Exchange to see if any of Matts gear is there (long shot, but they have a lot of used gear on consignment there).
La Sportiva Nepal Extreme's. In the Sierra, useful only for steep snow/ice climbs. Nobody would carry them in a pack unless the objective involved the same. Overkill in the Sierra, but if it was his only heavy boot I could see him taking them. Could he have sold them (and the big pack) to raise $$ for car repair? It's always bugged me that he didn't take a mid-sized pack. Who would he have sold them to? Is there a used gear store in Mammoth?
If anyone wants me to get info on what has been sold/consigned at Mammoth Mountaineering Supply & Gear Exchange in Bishop or in Mammoth I can have my bestie look into that since she works there most days a week and can certainly get access to that kind of info in a flash if the exact items are known....
Is this worth a check? (especially since it seems slightly suspicious that tent + stuff was not reported as relating to missing person for an entire week and thats certainly enough time for someone to get a hold of it to make some cash... among other scenarios... it can be a shady place around those parts, no pun intended)
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tdg119
Social climber
Northampton, PA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 11:12am PT
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@Split- his first credit card purchase in mammoth lakes was June 28. User "jeg" is Jill, she was out there and posted most of the info with specific times in her posts. checkout her posts, she has the most accurat info. - Ron
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 11:15am PT
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Jilli,
If there is anyway to check the Bishop Gear Exchange to see if any of the "missing" items turned up there it would be helpful. We could cross it off the list of things checked. The consigment book is arranged by name, not by date so in theory they would have to check every page and look at item descriptions by date which would be time consuming. If we could supply them with a detailed list and perhaps pictures it might be helpful IMHO.
FYI to the best of my knowledge used gear is only sold at the exchange in Bishop (not in their Mammoth stores). My husband is a gear ho and if there was a used gear place in Mammoth we would know. There is a disabled sports donation center near the Chart House. We were just in there last Saturday and Sunday and did not see any equipment and/or packs of this nature so I think we can cross that place off the list.
We will be back up next weekend so if need be we can go in their in person and physically check the gear if that would be helpful.
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 11:16am PT
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Thanks so much Ron!
Will include this in the document I am creating.
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crankster
Trad climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
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Aug 24, 2013 - 11:22am PT
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REALLY hoping this lead pans out. Once the search area narrows, I'm planning to head down to Mammoth to add a pair of eyes to the effort.
A couple of other things I was thinking about....
THE CAR: Matt had been without his car from July 5th to the day he went missing, about 12 days. For any traveler, this would be a real drag. For someone camping, a REAl drag, with all your possessions in a tent or in the trunk of your car at a repair shop. If you aren't familiar with Mammoth Lakes, it's not really a town in the sense of the word; more a ski resort that grew into a town. It's charm is in it's surroundings, there's no main square to hang out in and it's spread out. Walking from Shady Rest Campground to a trailhead would get old fast. My point is that by the 16th, I think he'd be really happy to get the heck out of there. Jill, John, et al, left on the 7th and he'd be eager to join them - I think that was his plan. It makes sense he'd be staying close to Mammoth Lakes in cell phone range so he could talk to the repair shop. I know I would.
I've been advocating the Ritter/Banner area as his likely destination mainly due to the missing gear. That's still is a mystery that needs to be solved to fit the Inyo Craters scenario. Could the gear have been stolen while he was missing and he didn't really have it with him?
BIKE: If I was stranded in Mammoth Lakes for almost 2 weeks, I'd rent a bike to get around. It's a huge biking community. Bike shops would have records of rentals. Have they been checked?
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