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SalNichols
Big Wall climber
Richmond, CA
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Aug 25, 2013 - 01:31am PT
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If you read Matt's blog, this kid was in incredible shape. He'd knock off 15 miles like most of us knock off a walk to Starbucks, but with less bitching. The problem is, his ability to roam doesn't make the problem easier...except that I noticed that when he was alone, he tended to stay well within his abilities. His writings don't depict him as careless, or an unusual risk taker.
He wasn't on familiar ground, and he historically didn't extend himself. Maybe that's something to consider when trying to narrow the search area.
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Aug 25, 2013 - 01:50am PT
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SalNichols
Can you please tell me where Matt's blog is located? I would love to read:)
Tx
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
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Aug 25, 2013 - 02:01am PT
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Simple physics ...
How to tell if glasses are nearsighted or farsighted
by STEPHANIE CHASTEEN on AUGUST 21, 2008
http://blog.sciencegeekgirl.com/2008/08/21/how-to-tell-if-glasses-are-nearsighted-or-farsighted/
Farsighted vision, convex lense, the image moves out.
Nearsighted vision, concave lense, the image moves in.
Note that the black frame of the eye-glass near the very bottom edge of the lense splits significantly and moves in to the left.
Note also the washer behind the bolt (zoom way in), the outer edge of the washer moves in from a perfect circle.
These eye glasses are for nearsighted vision.
The bottom of my personal progressive lense glasses for reading (bottom portion only) are for nearsighted vision which is slight and they don't move the eye-glass frame in toward the left as much as these found glasses do.
I would say the glasses found are for strong nearsighted vision.
tdg119 said ...
Aug 24, 2013 - 06:57am PT
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.
LAHiker said ...
Aug 24, 2013 - 07:53am PT
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.
tdg119 said ...
Aug 24, 2013 - 08:02am PT
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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SalNichols
Big Wall climber
Richmond, CA
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Aug 25, 2013 - 02:05am PT
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Split pants, apologies s. there's a link to it somewhere in the past 1000 posts, or in crags search TR thread.
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Aug 25, 2013 - 02:14am PT
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All,
If anyone wants/needs a scanned copy of secor chapter 12 (the pages Matt tore out) send me a PM. I scanned a copy.
Thanks
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Aug 25, 2013 - 02:19am PT
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KellyDoesntClimb and/or Teddy and/or mattyj
Is there anyway we can consolidate to one working map? Looks like there are 3 maps going. I only have links to 2 of them:
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zn3r74pmynOE.kUAGPbbv8mwo
http://caltopo.com/map?id=4J3A
My apologies if this is a stupid question, but my eyes are shot after going through 900 posts today:( I love all of the maps, just think it might be easier if we have one map with a single point of contact that updates the map as new information comes in.
Please let me know your thoughts/ideas. Any help you can supply would be great:)
Tx
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Aug 25, 2013 - 04:03am PT
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Good Morning (actually goodnight for me ha!)
I finished the first draft version of the consolidated document with chronological timeline. One thing that needs to be done that I can't do is to consolidate to a single map. If someone can help with that....well it would be great.
I have the document in MS Word 2007 (can save to a lower version if needed) and a PDF.
If you would like a copy of this document for review please send me a PM and let me know what format(s) you need. I will continue to update the document based on relevant/important posts to the forum. Please feel free to review the document and let me know of any changes and/or omissions or perhaps other ideas for organizing all of the information:)
I also copied and scanned chapter 12 from secor if anyone needs.
[EDIT] Also scanned chapter 11 that covers Mammoth area.
Nite
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Aug 25, 2013 - 11:38am PT
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Me too.
Good luck
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KellyDoesntClimb
Social climber
Dunwoody, GA
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Aug 25, 2013 - 11:51am PT
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My map is public. Anyone can add to it or edit it. I may clean it up due to having control issues, but anything added or edited should stay roughly the same.
EDITED TO ADD: Actually, please email me kellyecastleberry@gmail.com with any edits or suggestions. I may change my mind here in a sec.
I will open those two links and add places that aren't on mine. It may not be finished today though.
https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msid=201100958982639302825.0004e4b67d382d4f35fd4&msa=0
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tdg119
Social climber
Northampton, PA
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Aug 25, 2013 - 12:05pm PT
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Kelly this great, do you think we should at it to the Facebook page?
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OutdoorGal
Social climber
Lehigh Valley, PA
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Aug 25, 2013 - 12:31pm PT
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Like countless others, I have been following along on this thread and the FB page with interest and have sincere hope that Matthew's family and friends find him ASAP. I live in PA near Matt and his family but do not know them personally. I am amazed at the number of people who are invested in this search for answers and for Matt himself.
I just wanted to throw out a few thoughts (after reading the posts here and having never been in the area myself). A couple people have mentioned Blue Couloir as the nearest spot someone might go to hike on snow/ice. It was mentioned as about 10 miles from Shady Rest and easily accessible. Can this be added to the map so we can see where it is in relation to where the glasses were found? Is Inyo Crater on the way to or from Blue Couloir? Could Matt have perhaps set out from his campground on a day hike to explore Blue Couloir (with his boots, crampons, ice axe, etc.) and stopped off at Inyo Crater on the way to or from, when something happened (a fall, encounter with a bear, etc.)? Perhaps he got lost or disoriented in the dark in his way back to the campground in that Inyo area?
Regarding the glasses: If he set out very early in the morning or was going to be hiking still into the evening, I don't think it would be out of the ordinary to have had glasses and contact lenses with him. He could have started off in glasses, say, and changed to contacts once his eyes woke up fully. The glasses could have fallen out of the bag (or pocket or wherever they were stashed) when he reached in to get something else out at any point? Or he could have been wearing the contacts and switched to glasses later in the evening if his eyes got fatigued? In this scenario, maybe the glasses were knocked off his face somehow (a fall, bear, human attacker/foul play)?
I am not sure why the found-glasses prescription hasn't been analyzed yet to see if a match with Matt's. Could be done in a matter of seconds, right?
Good luck to Cragman and his climbing partner, who are heading out on another dangerous search, and to everyone following the other leads closer to the campground. The free flow of ideas on this thread is awesome and will hopefully lead to Matt's being found. Thanks for letting me add my ramblings.
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x1n54n3x
Boulder climber
mammoth lakes
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Aug 25, 2013 - 01:06pm PT
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Best of luck Cragman- stay safe.
I have also wondered whether Matt may have ventured through shady rest, through the scenic loop, through the craters to the Owens Headwater Wilderness. Like I said, plenty of trails out there, it's not tough, relatively close and it leads to some amazing scenery if you put in the work. It is however, very confusing. Just a thought. If these glasses pan out, I would put more emphasis on this area if there is nothing else found near or in the craters. He very well could have lost the glasses en route to somewhere else. This is a guy who knocks out tens of miles in a day, but a location or lead would send this forum a long way in terms of search efforts.
While Matt strikes me as adventurous and in impeccable shape, he does not strike me as careless. Playing around the crater or on its walls, given the amount of rockfall and visibly unstable features, seems like a rookie move that he would be careful to avoid. Not saying that something out of the ordinary couldn't have happened, but his experience would probably tell him not to take those sorts of senseless risks.
I really hope the glasses turn out to be a clue as to what direction he may have gone. Sending a search crew out in 4x4's to comb the ORV trails and surrounding wilderness area would not be hard to coordinate, IMO.
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tdg119
Social climber
Northampton, PA
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Aug 25, 2013 - 01:14pm PT
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Does the word Turtle mean anything out there?
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SplitPants
Social climber
LA
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Aug 25, 2013 - 02:19pm PT
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MGuzzy
Added to document and my husband is researching the crampons (fyi).
Tiffany/Ron
Does the word Turtle mean anything out there?
This does not ring a bell to me. I pulled the scanned chapters 11 & 12 from secor and did an automated search for the word "turtle" and the program did not find this word in either of the 2 chapters. Computers programs not always perfect so let us know if you hear back from anyone.
Thx
[EDIT] SalNichols -Excellent point:) There is Tuttle Creek, Tuttle Pass, Obelisk etc..(Whitney area right?)
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SalNichols
Big Wall climber
Richmond, CA
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Aug 25, 2013 - 02:23pm PT
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Are you sure it's Turtle and not Tuttle?
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 25, 2013 - 02:44pm PT
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Tuttle Pass, Tuttle Creek, I think all things Tuttle are down by Lone Pine, a town about 100 miles south from Mammoth.
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Jeremy B.
climber
Northern California
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Aug 25, 2013 - 02:45pm PT
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I hate to say it, but I think the found glasses are correcting for farsightedness. For comparison, I've included a photo what the image shift looks like for a lens prescription of -5 (i.e. even stronger than Matt's). Note that the distortion is stronger at the edges (left arrow) than closer to the center (right arrow); at the midpoint of the lens, there will be no distortion.
This is the opposite of the found lenses, where it appears the image is being shifted to the outside of the lens. This seems especially visible on the right, where the brown sign background is pushed out. We will know for sure when an optometrist can check out the lenses.
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kenish
Gym climber
Orange County, CA
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Aug 25, 2013 - 02:50pm PT
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One way to resolve Jeremy's comment is to see if the Mammoth PD is willing to a farsighted volunteer or PD empoyee try them on. It will make their uncorrected vision either better or a lot worse...an unscientific but quick check before an exact Rx can be determined on Monday.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Aug 25, 2013 - 02:58pm PT
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from Jill's posting of Matt's 2006 trip report.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=2207307&msg=2207307#msg2207307
I figured I put in 18 miles on the day, so I hit the sack early Likes long days
Always walk away with a plan for next time. When he's in a beautiful area he makes a plan for a return trip.
Ran the Beartooth 8.2, which rose 2000 ft (7000-9000) up the pass. It was tough – nearly 71 min. Managed to finish 20th out of ~ 120. The competition was stiff, but I could’ve pulled off a top 10 finish if I was in marathon shape. Tried to hike the Sylvan Plateau in the afternoon, but a T-storm turned me back a mile shy. Ran an 8.2 mile mountain race, placed in top 20 and started a long hike in the afternoon.
WE set a blistering pace climbing 5600 vertical over about 10 miles that took us up to Mystic Lake, on the Phantom Trail, then XC across. Froze-to-Death Plateau to the base of Tempest. I climbed Tempest at dusk. This was with a pack for an overnight bivvy, so sleeping bag, bivvy sack, food, etc.
so I decided to stick with the rock ridge rising from the saddle rather than the enormous snowfield below the ridge. I eventually ran out of rock anyways and had to get the axe and crampons anyways, I nearly made a fatal mistake by stepping on a cornice . Luckily an alarm went off in my head. Has glacier and snowfield experience and some savvy. (you learn something when you realize you've nearly stepped on a cornice)
We joined forces again for the final assault. Route finding was key due to the numerous chimneys and ledges. There were definitely some 4+ pitches. We passed about ˝ dozen rappel stations, so I was confident we’d get back down. Eventually we hit the summit – no cairn or register, just a Geological Survey Marker. After a snack, we headed back down. Down climbing wasn’t so bad, but you definitely had to pay extra attention to the route and your hand and foot placements. Enjoys 3d-4th class climbing.
As I traversed back up to the base of Tempest, I saw him running/sliding down the 2000 ft snowfield to Avalanche. He reminds me of myself at 23/24 – too risky! I told him the snowfield covered the Granite Glacier, so there were sure to be some crevasses and such. Luckily he made it OK and covered the 2000 ft in just a few minutes. More glacier/snowfield savvy
Put in an awesome 10 hour hike. The rock was surprisingly solid. Yet, some big pieces moved. Returned to find that rodents had tore into my engine – plug wires, vacuum hose, mostly wire sheathing. Coasted into town and set up camp at the Alpine Motel. Been through the car breakdown before.
Same as yesterday – no car yet. Hitched a ride out to the BearTrack and hiked up the Silver Plateau (8 mi roundtrip, 2900 vertical) Doesn't sit still when his car is laid up. Hitched a ride out to the Bear Track
Coming up with a plan. Yellowstone, climb Teevinot (? Teewinot is a big day, 4th class, not trivial.
Hypothetically: (I hate guessing but we don't have a lot of facts to go on.
Fact: car STILL not ready on the 16th.
Facts: Matt had taken an easy day on the 16th..did his laundry, bought some stuff. Went to the library. Called friends about 9 PM
Fact: Matt had climbed the Clyde Minaret on the 11th. I don't think we know if he soloed or teamed up with someone (as he had in Montana in 2006). The Clyde is exposed 4th class by the easiest route. And the 4th class routes require ascending the Clyde glacier unless traversing from Eichorn.
Fact: Matt had also climbed Riegelhuth, and Michael Minarets. Riegelhuth has an easy route. All Michael routes are difficult 4th and 5th class.
Fact: Walter A Starr Jr died and was entombed on the NW Face of the Michael Minaret.
Fact: Matt had hitched a ride to get to the back country once before when his car was down.
Fact: Matt enjoyed long days in the mountains and didn't sit around when his car was out of commission.
Fact?? I think Matt had climbed the V (U) Notch Couloir earlier this summer. The U Notch is probably harder than anything in the Minarets, it's certainly much longer. Somewhat less dangerous as it doesn't end in cliffs at the bottom. The V Notch is harder than the U Notch a "notch" or two.
Questions: Did Matt know that Starr had died on the Michael Minaret and is entombed there?
Did he also know that a team had put up a plaque on the ledge a couple of years ago?
Did mountaineering history have an allure?
http://www.snwburd.com/bob/trip_reports/michael_minaret_1
http://www.snwburd.com/bob/trip_photos/michael_minaret_1/DSC00056.html
Assumption: Matt took his boots, crampons, pack and ice axe with him.
Assumption: Matt made a "plan" to return to the Minarets when he climbed the Clyde. They really are a magnetic attraction once you've been there. And just the kind of snow/ice/rock he had enjoyed in 2006.
Assumption: Matt had continued his mountaineering since 2006 and honed his skills. (see U Notch and Clyde Minaret ascents).
Hypothesis: Matt found a ride early AM of the 17th to Minaret Summit, at the far west end of the ski area parking lot. Possibly pre-arranged with someone he'd met on the 16th. Or maybe just hitched a ride, possibly with ski area worker.
Then proceeded into the Minarets/Ritter/Banner massif. All reachable with a long day round trip from Minaret Summit.
Alternate Hypothesis: Matt's "ride" to Minaret Summit ended badly.
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