REVISED Missing Elk hunter-Revised, Gold Creek Rd 1703/Milk Creek

[Bob33]

RIP, sad deal for his family.

Have to wonder how the heck someone is only 1/2 mile from a vehicle and couldn't be found with all of this machination and media attention.
SAR lay it all out there, they are invaluable, but I have to wonder why bloodhounds couldn't find this man sooner, and if in rugged country at least get scent very near there...it's not surprising that people several miles form a trailhead never get found.

I imagine more details will be released in the coming days, but I can tell you that given the terrain and off-and-on snow cover in the search area, the 7,000-ish man-hours it took to find him is not at all surprising.

The 1/2 mile distance does seem a little surprising. By my calculation a 1/2 mile radius area is about 500 acres which for perspective is about the equivalent of 400 football fields.

[Wunderlich33]

Condolences, RIP

[zagsfan1]

Thoughts and Prayers to his family and the Seattle Fire dept.

[follow maggie]

I’m glad you’re doing well Mopar. That area is some rugged land. I feel for his family & friends.

[yakimanoob]

RIP, sad deal for his family.

Have to wonder how the heck someone is only 1/2 mile from a vehicle and couldn't be found with all of this machination and media attention.
SAR lay it all out there, they are invaluable, but I have to wonder why bloodhounds couldn't find this man sooner, and if in rugged country at least get scent very near there...it's not surprising that people several miles form a trailhead never get found.

I imagine more details will be released in the coming days, but I can tell you that given the terrain and off-and-on snow cover in the search area, the 7,000-ish man-hours it took to find him is not at all surprising.

The 1/2 mile distance does seem a little surprising. By my calculation a 1/2 mile radius area is about 500 acres which for perspective is about the equivalent of 400 football fields.

Yep.  486 football fields, to be exact.  Plus nearly 2,000' of elevation change within that zone, and you can start to see how difficult it would be to find someone. 

[GWP]

I hope I go this way.  Doing what I love.  Every time I go hunting with my dad or an older aquantice I have this thought in the back of my head that I hope I don't have to try and find them after hours if they don't return. I know most people on here have had this thought.  I know this isn't the best thread to post this but it is probably what most are thinking. I am glad they found his body and his family has closure.  RIP!

It is reality. Particularly hunting with ‘older’ folks. The ‘dying while I do what I love’ sounds great to make us feel better, it is not really the case most of the time.
I had a friend that had a heart attack hunting deer in a remote area. Had a buddy with him. It would have been hours to get back to the truck. Took an agonizing hour, but he passed there on the cold ground. I am pretty sure that is not ‘what he loved’. Just sayin’.
We say these things to make ourselves feel better about it, but it is seldom the reality.
Be as prepared as you can realistically be. But know it CAN happen.

[LDennis24]

I have been checking this post daily and hoping I would hear something positive. Finding him is the only positive thing in all this. I am grateful that his family has closure and I hope they are doing good in this rough time. Thank you Big Chief for your service. Rest in Peace sir.

[yakimanoob]

I hear ya GWP.  My outlook on the matter is that the actual dying part is going to be brutal 99.9% of the time.  But up to the point that he started dying, he was out enjoying an activity that he loved very much.  It's really hard to ask for more than that.

I hope the family can find a little solace in that.  And solace for those still with us is the only thing that matters now.

[TVHunts]

RIP Chief...

Prayers to his family and friends.

[Caseyd]

https://www.ncwlife.com/coroner-says-seattle-deputy-fire-chief-died-from-injuries-suffered-in-a-fall/?fbclid=IwAR0qt3x4O-PtjFOLok8xW3Y9sq0jDDZwrGgCfsnUFI2ro1HMERJQYi91U9Y

[rainshadow1]

Kittitas County Sheriff -

The body of Deputy Fire Chief Jay Schreckengost was transported home to Seattle today by members of the Seattle Fire Department in Fire Department vehicles. A forensic examination of the Chief ordered by the Kittitas County Coroner revealed numerous injuries including a broken wrist and broken spine. The autopsy concluded the cause of the Chief’s death was multiple blunt force trauma. Further investigation in the field led investigators to believe Chief Schreckengost fell down steep hillside or cliff faces more than once before coming to rest where he was found last Sunday.
It’s known that there was snow on the ground when Chief Schreckengost went scouting for Elk on the morning of Tuesday, 11/2—creating slick conditions in that already rugged and dangerous terrain. The location where he was found was near the bottom of a sharp, broken slope about 700 feet in elevation, north-northeast from the end of spur rd 553 off Forest Service Rd 1703 in the Wenatchee-Okanogan National Forest near Cliffdell. It’s believed the Chief slipped or fell down a part of that slope into terrain where he could neither climb back up nor safely descend. Another fall brought him near the bottom of the slope and caused a fatal spinal fracture.
The area where the Chief came to rest was covered in thick brush and could not be safely navigated by searchers without technical climbing equipment and expertise. The team that located him on the afternoon of Sunday, 11/14, included members of Mountain Rescue Teams from Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and the Olympic and Central Mountain Rescue Teams. These teams of skilled and trained volunteers searched miles of cliff bands in the mountainous area near the Chief’s last known location before finally locating him.
The Mountain Rescue Teams and all the Search and Rescue volunteers who participated were part of a monumental effort including and spurred by the passion of Chief Schreckengost’s fellow Seattle Firefighters. The coordination and commitment of everyone who assisted in the search was a fitting tribute to the Chief, and we hope that his final voyage home provides some comfort to all who loved him.

[h20hunter]

Thanks for posting.  Hopefully he was not in pain for long.  RiP and thoughts towards his family.

[7mmfan]

Man that's sad.

[Naches Sportsman]

May he watch over the other hunters in the area in the future. It sure would be pretty neat to see one of the people who knew him be able to shoot a big billy or bull up there in his honor.

[follow maggie]

There is some brutally tough country there. I pray his family & friends can find peace.