Hope this guy makes it out alive. He's ten days overdue.

It's clear he was travelling light, very light, and solo, in rough terrain. Someone who's very fit and very experienced can do it in terrain they know, but there's not a lot of margin for error.

Conflicting reports regarding his hiking/wilderness experience and skills: close friend says very experienced, RCMP say not.

"Squamish RCMP say Wright has little experience with wilderness hiking, was wearing running shoes and did not take a tent or sleeping bag with him."

News at Day 6 of search:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Fool+Gold+hiker+still+missing+after+days/3428190/story.html

News at Day 10 of search:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Rescuers+follow+signs+missing+hiker/3443214/story.html

Hope he has an angel on his shoulder. They're light.

Seriously, God bless. It would be terrifying to be alone and injured or alone and lost in the wilderness.

I saw too many horror films when I was young so the prospect of being alone in the woods terrifies me, period. Solo is no-go.


:-/

I have to admit, doing a solo trip would be exciting as all get out. Just you and nature, a real test of your limits.

That said I would make sure due diligence was done i.e. location according to ability, route and return date logged with family and park office, appropriate gear.
Even so, "life" happens even when we do our best to mitigate it.

Here's to hoping to a safe return and one helluva story.

The area this person is missing in very rugged...and unforgiving. It is typical PNW rain forest punctuated with a lot of thick 1st and 2nd growth timber, very thick underbrush, towering cliffs, deep gullies/gorges etc.

Back in my late teens / early 20's, we spent an aweful lot of time hiking and exploring in this area and it is not where I would want to be lost. If this hiker is still alive and unhurt but lost, he can expect to face some of the toughest, ugliest conditions in the PNW where distance traveled can sometimes be measured in less then a mile per hour.

There are old several forest service roads (FSR) in the area with the most notable being a now unused FSR that runs roughly east to west (on the western side of Mamquam Pass) which is at the northen section of PineCone Burke Provincial Park. On the eastern side of the pass, this same road/trail runs roughly north to south down into the main park area...and safety. If this hiker still has/had his wits about him, he would attempt to locate that road (or any FSR for that matter) and stay there as it would give the air and ground search a better chance of spotting him.

The weather up until today has been good, however tonight it is unsettled wth chances of rain and the temperature dropping into the low 50's...and will be much cooler in the higher country. This is not idea for someone who would now be out of food and with no proper clothing, footwear and no proper shelter. There is a photo on the net taken of the hiker before he set off that day and the backpack looks small and would of probably not contained much...

There has been some local email chatter today regarding some experienced locals assembling a search team (assuming official SAR approves) this weekend. If my health were better, I would volunteer without hesitation...

This photo link gives you idea of the terrain in the area.

If he's still alive, he should know people are looking for him since soon after missing his return date. You would hope that he had the sense to STOP MOVING, and send up a signal if he could.

Sue

We don't have much information to go on.

Generally, if you are on a trail, you stay on it. Or you head toward a stream where you have water and visibility overhead.

But if you get off the trail and get turned around, in that PNW bush, you have one heck of a problem. From the little bit I've seen, you could set a truck on fire and it would hardly penetrate the canopy. It's a tough place to signal.

There's also the psychology of being stranded/turned around. I could sit and wait for a few days, but I think the pressure to "do something" would be overwhelming after a while. In an ideal situation, the information you left with a responsible person helps you as much as the searchers, by reducing the temptation you face to go thrashing through the bush no matter what.

I'm still hoping for the best.

There were a lot of volunteers (including people I know) who joined the search today. The outward hope is the hiker is still alive, however as the days count up there is more concern.

In regards to Doug's comments, though the PNW forest is thick and the terrain is tough to navigate in, there are several trails and old logging roads that criscross the area and there are many open areas. If he was truly lost and uninjured by now he must of found at least one trail, road or open area, SAR then would have a chance in seeing him on their daily overflights. Last I heard this afternoon, there were 3 helicopters on active search. On the otherhand, if he is hurt and unable to move and laying in the tree canopy, it will very difficult to find him.

This is the list of kit that the hiker was known to be carrying when he started out. As you can see, there is no real survival items however it is not known whatever items he may of had in his pockets etc...

white t-shirt
green shirt
black fleece
grey pants
black backpack
blue puff jacket
tarp (color maybe blue?)
green toque
cook pot
trekking poles
red nalgene
orange socks
black sandals
black, grey and orange Nike running shoes.

Some of his friends say that he is an experienced outdoors person, however the items listed above do not suggest that...then again we don't know the full story.

The SAR effort is out in full force today and the weather is not that great. It is currently 13C (55F) with low overcast and there is a chance of rain later today also.

I am about a 10 minute helicopter flight from the northern end of PineCone Burke Park where the search is now centered. I heard and seen helicopters yesterday, however today it is quiet in the air...possibly due to the weather.

I would think that if he is not found in the next couple of days, a decision will have to be made in regards to the search.

News update Aug. 29th. Searchers face colossal task

Map of the search area. The blue lines indicate the air search flight paths.

All those tracks . . . peeps gotta learn to stop moving. Find a good place and get a fire going . . .

I agree Izzy. This is probably not going to be a good outcome. I know that area very well and as I said before, it is not where I want to be lost...or hurt for that matter. For the official SAR and other volunteers out looking, there are just too many miles of rugged country to cover.

There is no cellphone coverage into the park or the area NW of it. This park is a true wilderness area and not the place for a casual and unprepared hike. The effective cell coverage pretty much ends at the south entrance of the park which is at the top of Harper Rd near the gun range which is some miles away from where the search is being centered on.