Posted on 08/02/2005 8:23:41 AM PDT by BulletBobCo
More than 125 people and two helicopters search in national park.
Concern for a missing park ranger grew Monday as an intensified search failed for the third day to find any trace of Jeff Christensen.
"We've got nothing," said Scott Sticha, information officer with the Rocky Mountain National Park. "If one of the dogs even turns their heads, we're on it. But we've got nothing."
More than 125 searchers joined the effort Monday, more than double the number searching the day before, and two helicopters swept overhead.
"The only thing that we have ruled out is lightning," Sticha said. "He could be injured. He could have slipped, fell . . . it could be critters. We don't know."
Monday's efforts concentrated on an 8- to 12-square-mile area of the Mummy Range in the north-central area of the park.
By late afternoon Monday, sunlight shone through storm clouds as volunteers trickled back from a day of searching rugged and steep terrain. Some searchers had to be flown in by helicopter to areas where it was extremely steep, Sticha said.
There has been no sign of Christensen since Friday morning when co-workers last saw him at the Chapin Creek Trailhead off of Old Fall River Road - a steep, one-way dirt road with sharp curves and steep slopes. He was setting out on a backcountry patrol to the Lawn Lake Trailhead.
Christensen, 31, is a fit and experienced mountaineer equipped with a radio and cell phone. Searchers could only speculate why he did not check in as planned with park dispatch Friday night or show up for his Saturday shift.
Park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson said it is possible he was attacked by a mountain lion or other wildlife, but loose rock and exposure to the elements are more likely threats to the missing man.
As helicopters crisscrossed back and forth Monday, park visitors noticed the noisy addition to the mostly serene mountain scenery.
"It's pretty weird," said Keith Ebel while standing in the lobby of the Bear Lake Visitor's Center.
Missing person signs sat on the lobby counter, displaying a color photo of Christensen and personal details.
The center was packed with park visitors, most of them inquiring about trails and camping spots. Many of them showed concern and asked whether Christensen had been found yet, Sticha said.
Ebel and his wife, Susan, both of Kansas City, Kan., said they have been visiting Rocky Mountain National Park often for years and have never seen anything like this. It was the first time the two had ever noticed a helicopter in the park.
"I'm a little concerned for him," Susan Ebel said. "He's been out there since the 29th."
Even though the terrain is rough, none of the volunteers have reported injuries. However, officials believe that Christensen may have been injured somehow.
Today's search is scheduled to begin at 5 a.m., with information compiled overnight highlighting areas for search teams to concentrate on.
There are no plans to scale back the search, Sticha said.
"We believe he has the skills to survive," he said.
Anyone who may have seen Christensen or have any information is asked to call 970-586-1204.
A helicopter joins in the search for Rocky Mountain National Park Ranger Jeff Christensen on Monday morning in the Lawn Lake Trailhead area. Two helicopters and more than 125 volunteers took part in Monday's search. Christensen has not been seen since he set out on a backcountry patrol Friday.
Jeff Christensen
I was just in RMNP two weekends ago. Sooooo many places for a person to meet with tragedy. I fear this man's fate is not a good one. I pray I am wrong. Lots of hikers this time of year. I hope someone comes across this poor fella.
I hope he just wanted to disappear (a la Jennifer Wilbanks). Otherwise I fear for his safety.
...Park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson said it is possible he was attacked by a mountain lion or other wildlife, but loose rock and exposure to the elements are more likely threats to the missing man......
.....the PETA Wildlife invironmentalists NUTS have been re-planting.....WOLVES.....through out all Rocky Mountain States for years now!!!
Ranchers have been complaining about..... the WOLF PACK DANGERS...... with NOT any 'human' ACLU-PETA help...etc.
/abortion clinics on wolf packs?
.....ongoing prayers......
The ACLU-PETA-U.N. ,.....'parks'......are NOT safe anymore....
.....protect yourself and children....in the...'parks'....carry many Guns!
/sarcasm?
Was he in a vehicle when he headed out? If so - have they found that?
The Perp?
Critters? Impossible. The park rangers are always telling me how harmless lions and bears are and they must be right otherwise it wouldn't be criminal to carry a sidearm inside a national park.
There's no wolves in RMNP. There are bears and mountain lions though.
Check out that bear flossing with a boot lace.
I'll bet the Ranger was carrying one!
Sorry,.....I didn't know wolves have now learned to read prohibition signs...NO REBEL WOLVES ALLOWED?
/sarcasm
......Elk now outlawed too?
Prayers.....
I believe he was hiking on foot - no vehicle.
How terrible. It sure doesn't look good, but I pray he is found alive.
That is good advice no matter where you go!
LOL!
I saw this on the news here last night and thought it was pretty strange. My wife hikes around up there quite a bit and it rough. They have a lot of people searching for him and he had a certain route he was supposed to take so if they haven't found him I'm thinking something strange has happened.
From the RMNP site:
Yesterday, searchers received clues that may help to narrow the search area. During the late
afternoon, park visitors reported hearing gun shots in the search area. There were also reports of
smoke in the same general area. At approximately 8 P.M., park rangers responded to the reported
location and stationed themselves at critical areas. One of them discharged their weapon
(standard procedure in search operations) to elicit a response. Another ranger in a different
location reported hearing a response shot a few minutes later. More rangers were then brought in
to the area and spread out along road and trails to listen for more responses. No new gun shot
responses were heard, but they did hear a radio being keyed after several gun shots from the
rangers. At this time, there is no confirmation that the responses came from Christensen, but it
does raise hope that it could possibly be him.
This morning, searchers will concentrate their efforts in this section of the search area, using
ground crews, dog teams, and a helicopter equipped with a device that can help detect heat from a
person. Today’s weather is forecasted to be cloudy and rainy which will hamper helicopter
operations at the higher elevations.
Jeff is 31-years-old and is an experienced mountaineer. He is extremely fit and capable of
covering long distances in a short period of time. Although Jeff was not intending to spend the
night he had a backpack with a variety of gear. He also had a park radio with him, however, in
some drainages radio coverage is spotty or his battery could have run out. This is his fourth
season as a park ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park. Jeff is an EMT (Emergency Medical
Technician) and has worked ski patrol at Winter Park for the past seven years. His hometown is
Fraser, Colorado."
http://www.nps.gov/romo/downloads/press/christensensearchthursday.pdf
Fingers crossed.
The smoke seems odd - unless it was from a smoke bomb that he could get to - otherwise why wouldn't they just follow the smoke if it were a signal fire? Sounds like he might be immobilized somehow - hope they can find him soon.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.