Hiker missing in the San Bernadinos

[Hikin_Jim]

They've basically suspended the active search and have now switched to a passive search. Basically volunteers may go up in their spare time, but they've closed the command post and ended any mutual aid SAR call ups.

[AlanK]

That is sad, to say the least. It is hard to believe that Dean Christy went out, covered about 3 miles, called for help, knew how to stay put, and still hasn't been found in well over a week. I am not criticizing the searchers, for whom I have nothing but admiration. It's just a sobering reminder of how close to home the wilderness is!

[drndr]

Couldn't agree more with Alank, I always lean to the side of caution, and preach that to anyone who asks advice about the great outdoors. Some things seem so simple and you may be able to get away with 100 times but all it takes is once, but maybe I'm just getting old.

[zippetydude]

I agree also, that's not that far and it appears he had good sense about him. I'm wondering if he didn't fall or somehow get injured - staying put should have been sufficient, especially once the fog lifted. Searches are almost always difficult, but it seems like there must be some other variable that we don't know about. Sure hope he beats the odds and it turns out he's hiking down to Highland or something.

z

[Hikin_Jim]

A lot could have happened from the time of the call to the time the searchers got into the area: heart attack, stroke, hypothermia, slip and fall, etc.

I hope he's all right too. I keep praying that he is found. It's horrible for the family not knowing alive or dead. Let's keep his wife and family in our prayers.

What was the name of that guy (John something?) that was missing for a year or more but a couple that was lost and found his abandoned camp and used his matches to light a signal fire and were rescued? Strange things happen out there.

[Hikin_Jim]

Another update: http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stor ... 694aa.html

They speculate, as have I, that he's buried under snow. They hope to find him when the snow melts.

[Perry]

Sad. But if hypothermia was the case, at least he went in peace.

[AlanK]

Vanished North Hollywood hiker leaves void behind
By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Dean Christy spent much of his life in the wilderness - studying the terrain, the flora and fauna, and learning survival skills.

The San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear Lake was a second home to the retired teacher, who shared his love of the outdoors with Glendale students over three decades.

And even with a fierce snowstorm approaching, no one questioned the 62-year-old's decision to leave his vacation home Jan. 4 for his second walk of the day.

But a few bad decisions - partly due to the dense fog that blocked his view of the ridgelines, the sun and moon he used to navigate - disoriented the seasoned hiker, who is believed dead after going missing 12 days ago.

While Christy's family mourns the sudden loss of a husband, father and grandfather, they're comforted knowing he died exactly where he would have wanted to.

"If God had given him a choice ... he would have picked those mountains," said wife Joan Christy. "That helps to hold us together."

Joan and Dean Christy had just finished furnishing their new Green Valley Lake vacation home when the North Hollywood couple drove up to the mountains Dec. 30 to kick off a winter vacation.

At about 2:45 p.m. on Jan. 4, Joan Christy said, her husband set out for his second walk of the day in a down jacket and a hat as she turned in for a short nap.

"I woke up at about 3:30 p.m. and the rain had just started to fall," she said. A short time later she was called by San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department deputies, who told her Dean Christy was lost and patched her in directly to his cell phone.

"When they told me Dean was lost, I was so angry," she said. "He told me he had done a doubly stupid thing and then he said he wanted to talk to the sheriff's (deputies) so he could tell them where he was."

As the evening wore down, Joan Christy's anxiety grew, but she remained hopeful. She even prepared a lasagna dinner, expecting him home about 9 p.m. and knowing he would be hungry.

At about 8 o'clock, her cell phone rang.

"The caller ID said Dean's cell," she said. "My heart jumped."

She screamed into the receiver, but there was no answer.

"That's when I started to panic," she said. "But I had hope. He's a fighter (he survived prostate cancer years earlier), and I knew if there was a breath left in him, he would come home even if it was crawling on one finger."

Last-known contact

San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller said they were able to contact Dean Christy about 1 a.m. Saturday, the last known contact.

By Saturday morning, a full-scale search ensued, but the storm was blanketing the area with deep snow.

"We had a lot of great people out there helping us," Miller said. "They were there at the beginning of the morning when it was dark, and they were there at the end of the day when it was dark."

During the nine-day search, e-mails and phone calls poured in for Joan Christy and her family.

"Dean made friends wherever he went," she said.

Born and raised in La Crescenta, Dean Christy had a childhood filled with camping adventures. After returning from the Vietnam War, he decided to become a teacher in 1972.

Dean Christy worked for 30 years with the Glendale Unified School District as a teacher and administrator before retiring in 2002.

A respected colleague

Norma Fragoso worked with Dean Christy for five years at Thomas Edison Elementary in Glendale.

"He was a gentleman, he was witty, conscientious, well-mannered and a great listener. There are just not enough positive words to describe him," she said.

At the district, he held several posts that included elementary school teacher, special programs coordinator and a teacher resource specialist.

Assistant superintendent Alice Petrossian said he was looked upon as a role model and ideal colleague.

"Can you imagine how loved you must be that you have retired in 2002, and here we are in 2008 and people not only remember you, but love you and respect you?" said Alice Petrossian, assistant superintendent at the district.

Holding out hope

Beyond his relationship with co-workers, it was the connections that he made with his students that meant the most to Dean Christy. From organizing church youth groups to taking on after-school programs to take kids on nature hikes, he felt every kid needed to be exposed to the outdoors.

Vittorio Salazar, an at-risk counselor at Thomas Edison Elementary, worked with Dean Christy on an after-school program called Summitt.

"Dean taught these kids about more than just hiking for the sake of hiking," Salazar said. "He made things educational. If he crossed any vegetation, he'd sit there and tell students about it."

Joan Christy's hope now is that search and rescue teams, still searching for Dean Christy's body on the weekends, bring her husband back.

She's waiting until then to organize any memorial services. She also said she hopes to start a memorial fund in her husband's name to benefit search and rescue organizations.

"I haven't allowed myself to think about them not finding him. I could not bear to think of him all alone out there."

Original article

[asabat]

What was the name of that guy (John something?) that was missing for a year or more but a couple that was lost and found his abandoned camp ...

John Donovan aka Seabreeze.

[Hikin_Jim]

Yes, that's the one.

Sigh. Death, alone in the wilderness and powerless, really sucks.

I note from the map that he appears to have been going deeper into the wild. Maybe that was his intended route, but his last cell position has the appearance of being off route. I guess it doesn't hurt to bring at least a compass even if you're only taking a short hike in an area you're familiar with. Disorientation kills.