Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007
A search is currently underway for Jeff Graves, 47, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who was last seen hiking on the Eagle Peak trail at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 16th. Jeff is the son of Ruth Graves, now in her third summer as a volunteer interpreter at Mount Rainier. Forty people assisted in the effort on Sunday, including three teams from German Shepherd Search Dogs of Washington State, and 52 on Monday, including 15 ground teams and two teams from Northwest Bloodhounds Search and Rescue. A helicopter joined the search as weather improved late Monday morning. At the time of the report (Monday evening), teams had found few clues to help narrow the search. The Eagle Peak Trail is a strenuous day hike that climbs 3,000 feet over three-and-a-half miles, beginning at Longmire in the southwest corner of the park. The trail is currently snow-covered above 5,100 feet. The search area includes rugged, heavily forested wilderness with many cliffs and ravines. Saturday and Sunday nights were cool, with rain, fog, and low temperatures in the mid 30s. Graves was wearing fleece and Gortex and carrying a daypack. Media interest has been high, both locally and in Minneapolis.
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