Greg, sure hoping and praying for good news. Thinking of you and the family. Take care.Originally Posted by gregoryknight
we should try to get something posted on the front page of the atc
All -
I was with Ken on the hike and left the trail early before Ken went missing. I alerted Ryan Jordan with Backpackinglight.com and he fortunately set a fire under this issue. For all practical purposes, Ken has been missing since SUNDAY.
To clear up some conflicting information, WE NEED HELP SEARCHING FOR HIM! When someone says, "the NPS is involved", please understand this means TWO Rangers patrolling over 200 miles of road and the backcountry. The NPS was notified and the only thing they could do at the time was interview hikers and check shelter logs. Simply put, we need volunteers with feet on the ground.
Ken was last seen on Saturday April 25th at the Punchbowl Shelter in Buena Vista, VA. He was supposed to be heading southbound. He transmitted a 12 second video from his iPHONE to one of his websites at 6:30am the following morning. It is assumed he therefore was at the Punchbowl Shelter on Sunday morning.
From there, his whereabouts are unknown.
He had been lagging behind quite a bit and insisted on being left alone by the small group of hikers who were on the trip. He did not come with anyone and most hikers were not aware of his vision problems until it was obvious that he, as someone said, "cusses and thrashes through the brush until he finds his way back onto the trail". This is an accurate description. Ken is VERY independent and in many ways he got quite aggitated when others tried to help him. He has quite a background in hiking and there was no reason to believe that he would have problems on a marked trail.
There are three general theories of what could have happened to him. First, he was about 200-300 yards from Blue Ridge Parkway. Simply, he could have hitched a ride out. Second, he could have taken the wrong trail at some point. Third, he may have had an accident.
If you are in the area, please do NOT be a bystander. Get involved. If you have vacation at work, take a day. PLEASE. I'm heading out there tomorrow and it is UNCLEAR if there is an organized team of searchers involved. Keep in mind, this really did not become an issue until last night when everyone started fact checking one another. Check backpackinglight.com for updates as there really is no other centralized body.
[quote=Jolly Green Giant;829557]All -
Ken was last seen on Saturday April 25th at the Punchbowl Shelter in Buena Vista, VA. He was supposed to be heading southbound. He transmitted a 12 second video from his iPHONE to one of his websites at 6:30am the following morning. It is assumed he therefore was at the Punchbowl Shelter on Sunday morning.
[quote]
Ken's video was shot from the summit of Bluff Mt, which is SOUTH of Punchbowl. He could have easily taken one of the intersecting trails south of there along the ridge by mistake. There is a trail in Salt Log Gap and the next gap that cross the AT.
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It's beyond me why they waited four to five days to alert other AT hikers to this. I do hope Ken is found alive.
I was thinking that same thing when I looked over the map and saw all of the woods roads, atv trails, etc. He hikes like a steam engine, and if he finds anything that looks like a trail heading in something like the right direction, it's full speed ahead.
In the Tetons he missed a turn and was heading over the Continental Divide before we called him back. In the UP he missed a turn on the Lakeshore Trail, went all the way to the parking lot at Chapel Beach and back, and still beat me to the campsite. As I was rolling in I met him headed back out to look for me!
He does almost always figure it out, which is amazing given his level of sight. I'll be up there tomorrow, and hopefully we'll find him sitting on an old petered-out woods road, asking if anyone has seen the f%#*ing AT.
Jaywalke
SW Virginia
I dropped off a friend, trail name "O Ghost Who Walks," Monday 4/27 about 6:15pm at the James River. His ultimate destination is Thornton Gap in SNP. His plan was to hike north to Johns Hollow Shelter Monday night, then continue north Tuesday morning. If Ken Knight indeed would have stayed on the AT Sunday morning southbound, they might have encountered each other depending upon Ken's speed and whether he took side trips Sunday/Monday.
I think "Ghost" planned to go into Montebello for a maildrop and stay at the Dutch Haus for a zero. Seems like he should have made it there today (Thursday) or tomorrow (Friday). Anyone in the area searching for Ken might want to see if they can locate him, real name "Brooks," at Dutch Haus or somewhere on the AT not too far from Montebello. He may have encountered Ken; location of encounter would be a valuable piece of info for searchers.
The trail through here is nice easy walking from Bluff to the James and I can see how someone who is sight impaired might take a turn. I don't remember the name of the gap south of salt log gap, but the side trail angles to the left while the At goes straight, and it's just as well defined. If you can't make out the blazes this would be an easy place to turn off. That being said, if Ken's on trail he would have to make his way downhill and come out sooner or later. This isn't remote wilderness and he is a skilled outdoorsman. My guess is he's doing the smart thing and just staying put waiting for help. The temps have been mild and the next 5 days are calling for rain everyday but highs in the 70's and lows in the 50-60 range. My bets on Ken, and I'll keep praying for him.
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Here's a link to a local tracker that might be able to assist. It might be worth while contacting them if they are not already involved w/ VA SAR.
Rob Speiden
Postal Address: 657 Coal Hollow Road Christiansburg, Virginia 24073
Email Address: [email protected]
Phone Toll Free: (866) 67TRACK = (866) 678-7225
I will also send this to the backpackinglight.com web site.
My wife and I are willing to drive up from the Pearisburg area and assist on Friday if there is an organized search. We have seating for 6 more volunteer if anyone wants to ride up with us.
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
Thomas Jefferson
Another Update for those not following the BPL thread (direct copy)
NEW Re: KEN KNIGHT IS MISSING ON APPALACHIAN TRAIL IN VA on 04/30/2009 21:40:06 MDT
First of all, thank you everyone for your patience, consideration, and information. I'm in awe at the amount of information that we've received, consolidated, and have been able to pass along to VA SAR.
Second, the ATC has been notified and their information officer will likely be the liaison to the individual trail clubs. If trail clubs would like to help, they should call ATC.
Third, a statewide VA SAR callout has been issued. There are going to be a very large number of searchers on the ground by morning. This is a huge, complex search encompassing an area of more than 300 square miles for the initial search focus. It's heavily wooded, steep, and almost futile to scan from the air. Spend some time in Google Earth and you'll appreciate what these guys are up against.
Today, NPS, along with some private parties, were the first on the ground to do a preliminary trail sweep. This was vital to making sure nobody was missing anything obvious. Tonight large search parties are being organized, and in the morning, a massive search begins in earnest.
We've had the opportunity to work with the VA SAR tracking team and we hope to God Ken is wearing his Inov-8's because they have one of the most unique sole patterns found anywhere...
In addition, our friends in Ann Arbor were able to go into Ken's house this evening and secure laundry items that will be delivered to VA SAR tomorrow evening for the K9 search teams. We were unable to make the last flight out of Detroit that could have gotten the items into Amhurst early tomorrow, so they are being driven across the country and delivered by hand.
I have been flooded with emails from people offering support and have a willingness to help with the search. I'm humbled, and thankful for that.
However, it's really important at this point to let VA SAR take the reigns and do what they are trained to do. VA SAR is somewhat unique in that it's one of the few states in the nation where statewide SAR teams can be mobilized quickly and consistently. They have good infrastructure, good support, and a lot of people.
Adding more people to the mix *right now* who are not VA SAR trained is probably going to slow things down rather than help. The next 24-48 hours are extremely critical and SAR operations must happen as efficiently as possible.
However, stay alert. If this search winds down and Amhurst County starts pulling back resources, then that might be the right time to jump in. I've been involved in that situation before, having served on SAR teams in both WA and MT, and all I can say is that Ken is resourceful enough to survive out there for a pretty long time. Not finding Ken is not an option for me.
Finally, please don't stop distributing this information. My hope is that somehow, somewhere, we can find somebody who ran into Ken since Sunday morning so that we can update is last known location and make this search area smaller. 300 square miles of steep woods out there is a crazy big area to start on.
Again, thanks for your patience, and prayers.
Stay tuned,
Ryan Jordan
President/CEO
Backpacking Light
www.trackingschool.com
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
Thomas Jefferson
I just received word that Rob Speiden is onsite w/ VA SAR.
From what I know of him he is very good at tracking at night by creating contrast of foot prints with lighting that is not possible in the day time. They want to keep the area of concentration pristine which means no bulk searchers until they clear an area. All we can do is wait to see if they put out a call for more boots on the ground at some point.
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
Thomas Jefferson
I am a member of the VA SAR team. Alot of us will be ready by 0700 this morning. We are allso sending a night team up tomorrow to. So they can go though out the night. Also rob is the best tracker I know. He recently just published a book. Any how, I will be heading up soon.
First off my prayers are with Ken and his family. I have NO doubt that he will be found alive and well.
This is a prime example of how the hiking community come together in times of need. Just like many other times the call has been put out and with out being said it is all hands on deck. I just wish i could be there to assist in any way I can. But all I can do is keep ken in my prayers and hope for a speedy resolution.
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NESSMUK is a member of VA SARTI and is turning out at 7:00 at the Buena Vista Overlook. Amherst Co. is running the search. There is a very active group in this area with numerous folks with man tracking experience.
I will have Nessmuk read this thread before he leaves so that he has all your extra info, and a good look at the photo.
If I garner any info about the search during the day, I will post.
There are several other trails in the area, old logging trails and maintained trails both.
Re: the hiking community: I told Nessmuk about the WB posting on a lost hiker several hours before he received official notification through his group. WB is in the forefront again!
My prayers go out to all searchers and Ken.
Frau
The longer this goes on without any good news, the deeper my heart sinks. It's already Friday and there is just now a large organized search when, given the challenged vision of the lost hiker, VA SAR should have been mobilized at least 3 or 4 days ago. I pray he is found safely and soon.
“He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.” –Socrates
hmmmm.......
yeah........
Let's watch the blame game and the innuendo here. None of it is helpful. I'm sure there will be a proper assessment by those involved in the search when this whole thing is over.
Prayers and love from PA going out to Ken and all those searching for him.
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