Monday, February 02, 2009

Missing Hiker
In North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest.
Searchers in the North Carolina mountains will resume their search Monday morning for an Asheville woman missing since she told her roommate she was going on a day hike on Sunday.Investigators said that the woman left her home around 11 a.m. Sunday, but left a note telling her roommate she'd be gone for the day to the Pisgah National Forest, but would be back by dark.Crews have centered their search in the Turkey Pen Trail area of the Pisgah National Forest. Searchers suspended their efforts at 3 a.m. Monday morning, but planned to resume at 9 a.m.
The woman's note didn't specify which trail she was hiking, but her car was found early Monday near the trailhead of the Turkey Pen Trail.

Lets hope she makes it out fine.
Update: Alive and well. She apparently spent the night in a shelter. I saw reports this morning that said rescuers looked until 3 in the morning. Why did they not check a shelter within five miles of the road?

MILLS RIVER - Lindsey Pfundstein, 22, who was lost overnight in Pisgah National Forest, walked out of the woods at 11:15 a.m. today.

The woman, who had been missing since Sunday night, walked into the parking lot at the trailhead where she had left her car.

"Are you searching?" a reporter asked.

"No, I think I'm the one they're looking for," she said.

She emerged from the forest out of breath but otherwise in apparent good health.

She wore hiking boots, a sweater and sleeveless jacket and was carrying a good-sized backpack. She walked up to a forest ranger, who asked her if she needed water and if she was OK.


I mean she walked out from the shelter down the trail to her car. Where exactly were they looking. I would send people down the trail from her car first.

Update 2: Lindsey's father Mark explains in comments what threw the searchers off. I did not really mean to criticize the searchers too much. I hope I did not offend the first responders. It is hard to figure out what happened from the news articles I read. It just seamed strange to me. Any way I am glad Lindsey made it out OK. She had enough skills to keep warm over night. It is hard to self rescue when out alone and things do not go right. I have been there.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Possibly I can help shed some light on the direction of the search.

On Sunday night then into the early morning hours of Monday, rescuers focused their efforts on a section of trail that Lindsey had specifically stated in a note to her roommate where she was planning to trek.

This area was northeast of where she parked her car. Adding to the confusion, a search helicopter spotted a lone hiker that signaled with a flashlight during the course of their search. This unfortunately redirected searchers away from Lindsey's actual location.

At day light Monday, rescue workers checked this same area in question which is dotted with mines.

Unfortunately, Lindsey trekked almost 10 miles due west away from her car and away from her originally stated plan.

As a parent, I cannot offer enough praise for the entire compliment of volunteer and paid staff who
participated in the effort to help locate our daughter.

Regards,
Mark Pfundstein