Search continues for missing Whitby man

Posted by: bacpacjac

Search continues for missing Whitby man - 01/14/14 07:51 PM

http://globalnews.ca/news/1080777/police-search-for-missing-whitby-man/


I hope he's found safe and sound, but I have a feeling that they're going to find this gentleman in the brush at the bottom of an icy hill, probably having succumbed to hypothermia. They're searching a ravine that I hike regularly. If the trails around my neighbourhood are any indication, he would have been running on two inch thick ice on the trails, dodging fallen trees and branches.

It may not be the case with this man, but it reminds me of something that concerns me: I see many runners around here that wear minimal clothing, even on cold days, assuming that their run is going to be uneventful. If you're one of them, please dress for an unexpected delay in mobility. Going for an hour run should be thought of in the same terms as going for an hour long hike. Expect the unexpected and stay safe and sound.
Posted by: CANOEDOGS

Re: Search continues for missing Whitby man - 01/15/14 03:56 AM

bacpac..i read the news and i think your right.a history of going everyday no matter what the conditions is setting up a disaster.
i hope i'm wrong..
Posted by: Phaedrus

Re: Search continues for missing Whitby man - 01/15/14 06:05 AM

I hope he's located safe and sound but I agree- it looks rough. Pretty cold temps and bad weather. No time to be out without good gear.
Posted by: Teslinhiker

Re: Search continues for missing Whitby man - 01/17/14 12:15 AM

Looks they are already scaling back the search.

As the search for a missing Whitby, Ont., high-school teacher entered its fourth day, police are widening the geographical area before planning to scale back their efforts later Thursday.

Jeffrey Boucher, a 52-year-old father of two, mysteriously disappeared after he is believed to have gone for an early-morning jog on Monday.

Despite an extensive search, no trace of Mr. Boucher has been found and police have been unable to confirm that he did, in fact, leave his home for a run around 6 a.m. as his family says was his usual routine.

“We are hoping that he has perhaps walked away for his own reasons or has for whatever reason stepped away from his usual routines of work and family,” said Sergeant Nancy van Rooy of Durham Regional Police. “For that reason, if he himself is listening or others that do know his whereabouts: Family, friends, the public, media, everyone’s concerned for him. We’d like to have closure here.”
Posted by: hikermor

Re: Search continues for missing Whitby man - 01/17/14 04:01 AM

Nothing helps a search effort like a definite point last seen, otherwise you may be looking for decades. When BPJ posted this story I was tempted to chime in and ask that the Canadian searchers, as long as they were out searching, should also keep an eye out for a Donald Lee Curtis, who disappeared (apparently) in the Santa Catalina mountains, just north of Tucson, AZ, back in 1970. Lost in the mountains, he left his companion to go and seek help. His companion finaly emerged from the range five days later, quite confused and disoriented. DLC was never located, despite strenuous and sustained efforts.

So why look for him in Canada? It turns out that Mr. Curtis had been drafted and was due for induction in about two weeks. Many of us have thought that expansion of the search to our neighbor to the north would have been fruitful....

Hope that this search turns out better than ours did...For years afterward, on later searches in the Catalinas, us gnarled veterans would occasionally shout out for Donald lee Curtis, with negative results. Not all searches are concluded, and those are the worst kind.
Posted by: bacpacjac

Re: Search continues for missing Whitby man - 01/18/14 03:01 AM

This is what the trails around here look like, from my hike today. This is on a main trail, but there are gobs of smaller, more difficult ones throughout these parks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHhsYnoF02g
Posted by: Byrd_Huntr

Re: Search continues for missing Whitby man - 01/19/14 12:13 AM

Hey Jac,

I hope the gentleman is found safe, but my comment has nothing to do with this thread.

I noticed in your video the type of ice creepers you are using. I have the same ones, and I have nearly broken my neck a couple of times because of them. The problem is that there is nothing under the heel and on an icy slope, if you forget to go toe first (which is difficult when going down hill) down you go.

Be careful and thanks for posting the video.

Byrd
Posted by: benjammin

Re: Search continues for missing Whitby man - 01/19/14 08:19 PM

Hmm, I wonder if the Cody Lundin traction method would be an option? Methinks not.
Posted by: bacpacjac

Re: Search continues for missing Whitby man - 01/21/14 03:48 PM

Originally Posted By: Byrd_Huntr
Hey Jac,

I hope the gentleman is found safe, but my comment has nothing to do with this thread.

I noticed in your video the type of ice creepers you are using. I have the same ones, and I have nearly broken my neck a couple of times because of them. The problem is that there is nothing under the heel and on an icy slope, if you forget to go toe first (which is difficult when going down hill) down you go.

Be careful and thanks for posting the video.

Byrd


You're absolutely right, Bird. These suck for inclines. They're not too bad on flat land, which this marsh area is, but you do need to be mindful of how you place your foot. I've got another pair with coils/springs on the bottom, but on ice I find those as effective as butter knives. (They wore much better on snow.) I definitely need a better pair for is.

Any suggestions??
Posted by: bacpacjac

Re: Search continues for missing Whitby man - 01/21/14 03:49 PM

Originally Posted By: benjammin
Hmm, I wonder if the Cody Lundin traction method would be an option? Methinks not.


LOL! I actually considered it when I was in the Army Surplus store last week. A pair of those super thick wool socks might be a good solution! Cody looks pretty secure up on the glacier he and Dave trekked across.
Posted by: bacpacjac

Re: Search continues for missing Whitby man - 01/21/14 03:51 PM

Just to follow-up, they've called off the ground search for this man: http://www.torontosun.com/2014/01/20/cops-wind-down-search-for-missing-whitby-man-jeffrey-boucher
Posted by: hikermor

Re: Search continues for missing Whitby man - 01/21/14 04:40 PM

Very sad and very perplexing. These are the cases that never go away and bug those involved, searchers as well,for ever...
Posted by: bacpacjac

Re: Search continues for missing Whitby man - 03/30/14 02:57 AM

It looks like the search might be over. I've been following this one closely because it's in my neck of the woods, and has made me much more cautious when I'm out solo hiking.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toro...rticle17729076/