Author Topic: Deceased Man's Backpack?  (Read 33858 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

hikin_jim

  • Guest
Deceased Man's Backpack?
« on: Jun 01, 07, 11:13:25 AM »
My father passed away in Acorn Canyon on Jan 16, 2004 a few hundred yards up the canyon from the hiking trail.  He was the subject of a Search and Rescue at the time which ended when his body was found by chance by a hiker on Jan 25, 2004.  His overnight gear was never recovered. 

Has anyone found a blue Jansport external frame overnight backpack and/or other gear stashed in the vicinity of the jct of the Acorn Canyon trail and the PCT on top of Blue Ridge near Wrightwood between Jan '04 and present?  My father cached his overnight gear there expecting to do a day hike from Cajon Jct as part of a PCT section hike.  I've made a couple of searches myself but there's a lot of places one could stash stuff and I'm only one kind of non-local (about an hour away) guy.  Thanks to those of you who I've spoken to on the trail by the way; you've been very sympathetic and supportive.

Bit of a weird question to post on a forum I know, but I thought I'd ask since you are the locals and in the best postion to know. I'm not sure why I care about the gear exactly; I guess it's sort of a closure thing.  Thanks in advance for any help or info you can render, -- Hikin' Jim


Offline RobertW

  • Moderator
  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: Plenty of Posts!
  • Clear Skies!
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #1 on: Jun 01, 07, 03:32:24 PM »
I remember the incident well.  Has it been that long?  I've hiked the Acorn Trail a couple of times since then and have seen nothing.  But, as you say your father could have stashed it anywhere.

One of these days somebody will stumble upon it.  I'll be more observant the next time I hike the Acorn trail.

hikin_jim

  • Guest
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #2 on: Jun 01, 07, 04:08:49 PM »
Thank you; I appreciate that.  He was intending to camp at the top of the Acorn trail, so it should be somwhere along in there.  If you do see something, please let me know.  --Jim

Nutcracker

  • Guest
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #3 on: Jun 01, 07, 04:53:13 PM »
Are you sure it was at the Acorn Trail and PCT junction? About a year ago I was on the upper ridge of Heath Canyon looking for a friends lost binoculars and found an old torn up and faded backpackers first aid kit and the guy I was with thought he saw what looked like it may have been what was left of a sleeping bag poking out from under the dirt on the side of the slide. I always figured someone stopped to rest and lost it over the side. That is a very precarious slide, steep, all loose rocks a very dangerous area to be climbing without proper equipment and training. I could see where someone would have second thoughts about retrieving their gear.

Offline ForestGal

  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: 3770
  • Fight On!!
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #4 on: Jun 01, 07, 05:00:27 PM »
I'll be on the lookout too, next time I'm up on Blue Ridge - I'm usually up there several times each summer, although not usually via Acorn Trail (it's steeeep, and I'm outta shape... :P).  My nearest cross street is Acorn, so from my house to the top of Blue Ridge, via Acorn St., then the trail, is about 3.4 miles, VERY uphill.  I've done it a few times, but it certainly isn't my favorite hike....

Jim, do you know if your father was planning to camp overnite at Guffy, and if so, would his gear have been stashed closer to there?  I'm sure there are a lot of us who are willing to look out for his gear, and the more info we have, the more chance of coming across it.

By the way,  I'm so sorry about your dad's fatal accident.

hikin_jim

  • Guest
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #5 on: Jun 01, 07, 05:42:10 PM »
Nutcracker:
It absolutely could be in upper Heath Canyon.  My dad's plan was along the lines of the below.  This general outline is all I have to go on.  He could have stashed his stuff nearer to Heath than to Acorn Can. if that were a better place to hide it.  He probably would have had a sleeping bag, backpack, small backpacking stove, bear canister with food, blaze orange down jacket, water, and possibly a blue tent.  This gear list is somewhat imprecise based mostly on what we could not find at his home after the fact.  He could have had a 1st aid kit; I'm not sure.

Approx. where in Heath did you see this?  It sounds like you were looking over the side and spotted it?  How long ago was this?  Can you describe at all the color, size, or anything else about the 1st aid kit or sleeping bag?  I don't suppose you have UTM?   :)

--Jim

His plan:
  • Friday:  Drive truck to Acorn Canyon Trailhead
  • Leave a Mtn Bike near Acorn Canyon Trailhead
  • Hike in and stash some overnight gear & supplies at the jct of the Acorn Trail & PCT
  • Hike back down to Acorn Trailhead
  • Drive truck to Cajon Jct
  • Hike PCT from Cajon jct to Acorn/PCT jct
  • Camp vicinity Acorn/PCT jct using pre-positioned gear/supplies
  • Saturday:  Re-stash supplies/gear
  • Hike to Acorn trailhead
  • Ride Mtn Bike to Cajon Jct and get truck
  • drive backto Acorn trailhead
  • hike back up, get gear, drive home

hikin_jim

  • Guest
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #6 on: Jun 01, 07, 05:49:24 PM »
ForestGal:
He wasn't planning on camping at Guffy based on what I know of his plans (see my reply above).  He had spent so many nights in primitive campsites, I don't think he would have gone out of his way just to be in an "official" site like Guffy. 

Thanks also for your kind words.  I really appreciate the fact that many people were really touched by what happened.  The days from when my dad went missing to the time he was found were some of the hardest of my life.

Offline superMom

  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: 725
  • Be Brave!
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #7 on: Jun 01, 07, 07:40:49 PM »
hikin_jim
My husband is very familiar with the Acorn trail having hiked it often, will ask him if he has spotted anything like you mention.  I am so sorry for your loss, I also remember the search and rescue at the time.

hikin_jim

  • Guest
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #8 on: Jun 01, 07, 08:12:08 PM »
Quote
I am so sorry for your loss, I also remember the search and rescue at the time.

Thank you for saying that -- and remembering.

Offline RobertW

  • Moderator
  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: Plenty of Posts!
  • Clear Skies!
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #9 on: Jun 02, 07, 07:37:02 AM »
As I recall, your father died from a fall off the trail due to ice or flowing water not too far from the Acorn trailhead (at the bottom).  Is it possible he never made it to the top?  Of course you would think the pack and supplies would be found close to him.

I too saw the sleeping bag on the Heath Slide.  I know it's the same sleeping bag "Nutcracker" is talking about, because I had a conversation about it with "Toolman" who was with him that day looking for those binoculars.

I believe it was about a year and a half ago, perhaps a little more recent.  I was on the upper plateau looking up and I spotted the bag.  It was all rolled up and partially covered with dirt on the upper face of the slide.  It appeared to have blown off the top of the slide and been partially covered as the slide continued to slip.  I actually went up and retrieved it.  I spread it out across the rocks on the slide, thinking somebody might be looking for it.  I also wanted to see if I could see it on the face of the slide from down below in town.  It was a dark blue, light or summer cotton sleeping bag that had a red plaid lining.  It appeared to have been "on the mountain" for some time.

Here are the UTM coordinates of where it was found:

110441526E
3799462N
8287 ft.

The next time I was on the slide the sleeping bag was gone.  I assumed the wind had blown it off the mountain.

I've hiked that entire area many times since then and nothing else was found in that general vicinity.


hikin_jim

  • Guest
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #10 on: Jun 02, 07, 08:34:40 AM »
Robert:

Thanks, that sleeping bag info is actually very helpful.  If it was cotton, it was probably not dad's.  Dad had been using nylon & down since the early 60's.  He was pretty serious about backpacking.  He did a lot of 14'ers and 13'ers in the Sierra.  His equipment would pretty much be more light weight backpacking style equipment; cotton would be really unlikely -- particularly a lightweight summer bag like you're describing (he died in January when it was COLD).  The bag that I think (99% sure since that was the bag he mostly used and it was not in its usual storage place when we looked after the fact) he had with him that day was sort of a purple/burgundy nylon down bag with a nylon stuff sack.

Your memory is correct by the way.  He slipped on ice and went head first over the very last waterfall as he was descending Acorn Canyon en route to his truck which was parked on Acorn near the first intersection below the "don't park here" portion of the  road.  He had no gear with him at all, not even a water bottle, which, given his plan, tells me that he died after stashing his overnight stuff at the top near the jct of the PCT and Acorn Can trails.  All of his day hiking gear was still in his truck when the Sheriff opened it.  I still have that gear.  :-)  Referring to the plan that I typed up a couple of responses back, my dad died while trying to complete bullet number four.  Of course I can't be 100% certain as to what occured that day, but these are my conclusions based on what I know of his plan and the "physical evidence" (location of accident, items in truck, items still missing, location of mtn bike, location of truck).  The truck and the mtn bike were both still at the Acorn trailhead area which tells me he never got to bullet #5.  He died very early on in his hike plan.

Jim

Offline superMom

  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: 725
  • Be Brave!
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #11 on: Jun 02, 07, 09:04:08 AM »
hikin_jim
My husband is very familiar with the Acorn trail having hiked it often, will ask him if he has spotted anything like you mention.  I am so sorry for your loss, I also remember the search and rescue at the time.

I checked with my husband, and unfortunately he has never seen any hiking/backpacking equipment at all on any of his hikes up Acorn trail.  He promises to look more thoroughly each time he hikes it now.

hikin_jim

  • Guest
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #12 on: Jun 02, 07, 10:43:22 AM »
Thanks for checking with him.  I appreciate any info I get. 

I suspect dad would have hidden it well; that was his nature, and he wouldn't want someone stumbling on it.  He was depending on the gear being there for him to have a "bed" to sleep and food to eat.  The conditions at the time were a lot of icy old snow on the N faces and pretty clear on the S faces.  Sometimes I wonder if he hid it in all that buckthorn that's on the S face of the top of the ridge or ?  Or or or.  That's the problem.  He could have hid it in any one of a thousand places.  After 60 something years of hiking and such, he wasn't intimidated by brush, snow, or steep slopes.

I just hope people will keep their eyes open.  Who knows, maybe someone will catch a glimpse of something that "shouldn't be there" out of the corner of their eye if they know there's something to look for? 

Offline Wrightwood

  • Administrator
  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: Plenty of Posts!
  • Wildlife Gateway
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #13 on: Jun 02, 07, 02:13:16 PM »
hikin_jim,
A couple of things that come to mind that I'd like to pass along about activities in the area. Angeles National Forest hired a contractor, that did a complete resurvey of the Swarthout Valley in conjunction with the proposed USFS Wrightwood Fuel Reduction Project. I ran into the guys doing the survey searching for the very old original survey markers in the Valley. I don't remember the exact time frame but these guys were all over the Blue Ridge area.

Another thought that has to do with the same proposed Wrightwood Fuel Reduction Project. There were a number of additional surveys in the area for archeology, tree & vegetation density, wildlife and I'm sure some others. All of these various surveys had people scouring the sides of the mountain and were off trail.

Although forum member K9lvr has moved from the area she still visits the forum regularly and might remember approximate dates when those activities took place.     

Here was a website that was developed and updated during the S&R efforts to find your Dad:

http://www.incidentcontrol.com/HikerRonBarbour/HikerBarbour.html

We wish you the best of luck!

hikin_jim

  • Guest
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #14 on: Jun 02, 07, 04:02:50 PM »
Yes, that does sound promising.  I take it that they were all the way up on the part of Blue Ridge where the Acorn Can trail and the PCT join up?

I know some of the people on this Forum volunteer with the USFS.  I don't suppose someone on the forum has a contact in the USFS regarding this project?  I can call the Santa Clara/Mojave Rivers Ranger District general number, but sometimes it's nice to know who you want to talk to.

Thanks for the link by the way.  A lot of the info on that link is pretty accurate although the link says something about my dad departing from his plans.  I don't think that's exactly right.  I think he was following his plans; he just died before he got very far into his plans.

Offline Wrightwood

  • Administrator
  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: Plenty of Posts!
  • Wildlife Gateway
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #15 on: Jun 02, 07, 04:54:36 PM »
Yes, the people were all over Blue Ridge including the slope down into Wrightwood looking for survey monuments. Remember that LA & San Bernardino County lines cross the area near the top of Acorn Canyon. Again I don't recall the exact dates when the survey crews were in the area.

The new District Ranger John Capell won't be any help as he just started.
K9lvr will be the biggest help in that aspect. Either send her a personal message via this forum or she'll probably find this topic anyway.

Here's a photo fromWildfire Awareness May 2005 showing the District Ranger with a copy of the proposed Wrightwood Fuel Reduction program. You can see Blue Ridge Road along the left side of the map.



hikin_jim

  • Guest
K9lver are you out there?
« Reply #16 on: Jun 03, 07, 10:19:03 PM »
Sounding ever more promising.  I'll send K9lver a PM if she doesn't catch this thread in the next day or so. 

Offline Wrightwood

  • Administrator
  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: Plenty of Posts!
  • Wildlife Gateway
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #17 on: Aug 20, 07, 10:55:31 AM »
hikin_jim any progress on locating the backpack?

hikin_jim

  • Guest
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #18 on: Aug 20, 07, 12:11:56 PM »
How strange that you should ask at this juncture.  I got a tip from Nanette on this forum a few weeks ago.  She put me in touch with Phil, a resident of Wrightwood, who had recently stumbled across a backpack in the Acorn Canyon area.  Phil described the backpack to me, and it really sounded like the my father's.  It took us a few weeks to get our schedules to match.  We actually got together just yesterday.  We went to the location, found the backpack, and, sure enough, it was my dad's.  It had about the contents that I expected although it did not contain his backpacking stove which puzzled me a bit, but perhaps he had brought food that did not need preparation.  We opened briefly my dad's bear cansister, but closed it due to a particularly malodorous stench.  I haven't had the courage (stupidity?) :) to examine the food inside yet due to the truly foul smell emanating from the canister.  The food has been in there since Jan 2004 (yipes).

All of the equipment is pretty much ruined after 3.5+ years in the wild, but it feels strangely good to have tied up this one last loose end in the saga of my dad's disappearance and death.  I can't explain to you why, but I feel a sense of relief at having found the backpack. 

There was one water bottle that was more or less intact, albeit smelly, that I may try to sanitize and use.  It's kind of funny, but I have an odd sense that I keep a bit of my dad with me whenever I use some of his old equipment on a hike or backpack.  Call it a memento or something I guess.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to those of you that have helped out or encouraged me in some way:  Jon, Clint, Chris, Robert, Wrightwood, K9luvr (and probably a couple of others who my poor memory doesn't permit me to recognize here).  Special thanks to Nanette, Phil, and Blake who directly contributed to the finding of the backpack.

Lastly, thank you all to the people who keep this forum going.  There is absolutely no way I would have ever found that backpack without you, the members of this forum.  This forum, and the town of Wrightwood in particular, will always have a special place in my heart, despite the tragic loss of my own father.  It is people like you who turn tragic memories into good ones.  I thank you.

Offline Wrightwood

  • Administrator
  • Raccoon
  • *****
  • Posts: Plenty of Posts!
  • Wildlife Gateway
Re: Deceased Man's Backpack?
« Reply #19 on: Aug 20, 07, 12:43:50 PM »
Jim it's good to hear that you were able to locate the missing equipment and that our forum was able to help.

Your kind words about Wrightwood and this forum are appreciated and we hope you continue to return to this great town & forum.

John
Webmaster