Lost Hiker??

been there, done that

caleb said:

I was going hiking anyway, but now I plan to make myself available to help search. leaving portsmouth Mon late or early tues if anyone wants to carpool. My plan is to check in with F and G first and go from there. I had originally planned to go Lincoln woods - thirteenfalls - guyot, then back out, so I might not even have to deviate much from my original hike. (but I will certainly go where asked). The temps are expected to be somewhat warmer. Caleb [email protected]

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To anyone hiking/searching in the Pemi Wilderness:

NH_Mtn_hiker and I did a long hike through the Franconia Brook/Lincoln Brook trails up to the 13 Falls campsite and the Garfield Ridge on Monday. Many trails in the area have not been broken out since the last storm and we left quite a bushwhack trail from Garfield Ridge trail down to 13 Falls tentsite. Do not confuse this with a missing hiker's tracks since the Saab was sitting there before the last big snowstorm and any tracks from Sypek are probably snowed over. We also broke out the Northern half of the Lincoln Brook trail to the Owl's Head path.

We saw the SAR helicopter make two passes over the Pemi while we were out there hiking. They didn't even slow down as we were having lunch at 13 Falls, which means either they didn't see us or they could quickly tell we were alive and well.

Tuesday's Union Leader article...

‘Needle in haystack’: Hiker search suspended

BETHLEHEM — The search for a hiker not seen in two weeks was suspended late yesterday afternoon, after three days of ground and air searches turned up no sign of the man.

Fish and Game Lt. Todd Bogardus said an Army Air National Guard helicopter spent the day yesterday flying over an area of up to 75 square miles, looking for Robert Sypek, 51, of Twin Mountain.

The search was launched Friday, after his snow-covered vehicle was seen at a trailhead off Route 3. Working from a brief note left in the car that said he was heading on a hike to the Galehead and Zealand huts, ground crews covered about 25 miles of trails Saturday while air searches flew over the White Mountains down to the Pemigewasset Wilderness.

“We found no clues or sign of him,” Bogardus said. “The search is officially suspended until we receive any clues or additional information.”

In addition to the search, officials followed up on several tips, but Bogardus said those did not pan out.

“It’s a needle in a haystack,” he said.

Sypek lived alone and apparently embarked on the 16-mile hike on or about Jan. 25. He has not been seen or heard from since then.

Officials suspect he went off trail. The area is mountainous terrain and snow-covered, with thick brush in some parts.

New Information

I spoke to a highly respected source who for the sake of this thread will re-main nameless.

Anyway, he actually booked a room at the same hotel Sypek LIVED in for the last year or so. In fact... he stayed in THE SAME ROOM as sypek.

After discussion with the owner of the hotel, the story is as follows.

Sypek who has no known immediate family, lived and worked from his hoetl room in Twin Mountain as an IT person for a computer company. Sypek lost his job due to outsourcing. Sypek appeared depressed for a few days until he left the hotel never to be seen again, only his car.

After taking in all of the information, the note with "Zealand ??", no immediate friends/family, losing job, depression. I think it to be pretty innevitable what the outcome of Sypeks last journey was... perhaps part of his intentions.

This would also explain the few and very blazei searches from F+G.

SJ

Thanks

Thanks, SJ. I had a fairly long conversation with Lt. Bogardus and came away from it with that same conclusion. By the time Sypek's car was noticed, he was past the point of any thought of survival. A winter search would put others in harm's way and it's truly a needle in a haystack. It does seem like this was planned this way. Very sad.
I was very impressed with the Lt.'s professionalism and compassion. The owner of the Saab website said the same thing.

I inquired with F&G about this too. My impression of the search was that it was over casual, even given all the uncertainties and the weather. So I called the law enforcement division and spoke with the Sargeant who coordinated the initial response. According to him, the F&G response was aggressive and immediate. Upon notification by USFS of a car and an itinerary at a trailhead, F&G immediately searched the surrounding area, and within 24 hrs they had walked/searched up and down Galehead and the Twinway. There were aware of the many possibilities other then OVERDUE HIKER, and were working diligently to improve infomation, but it seems they were on the ground and in the mountains searching the whole time. The accurate reporing of this never made it into the papers for some reason ??? C

After reading Ricks post on Boomhower "Lost on the NLP", I wanted to rekindle this thread to see if anyone has heard anything more on Mr. Sypek.
Based on what SJ's post it sounds like he might have been on a personal mission and I'd hate for some group of kids or family out on their first Spring hike to come across the results.
Thanks for any update....good or bad,
Bill

I just wanted to make a comment about this particular thread. I'm new to this board but not to hiking, that's not to say I'm an expert hiker nor am I a novice. Rather I consider myself intermediate and I'm content to stay at that level.

This thread is one example of why I think as highly as I do about hikers. They show a great deal of overall caring and alturism towards eachother. I can't say I'm surprised because every hiker I've met is that way. Perhaps this is what makes hiking such a special and wonderful hobby.

The sincerity of the many individuals on this board to want to go on a search and rescue mission shows an example of how people in general should be towards their fellow human beings. I participate in many other physical activities and sports for hobbies and I can tell you that I don't see this kind of consideration for others in any of those other activities.

Sorry if I rambled too much and I'm not trying to be an @$$kisser, just calling it like I see it.

Maybe Mr. Sypek didn't have any immediate family but I think from somewhere he can look at all of you as his family.

The recent thread about bushwacking to Hawthorne Falls gave me a creepy feeling, but I didn't want to say anything. I'm planning to hike to the falls this summer. I hope I'm not the one to discover the man's fate...

The Union Leader reports today that a hiker has found male human remains in the area that was searched. No ID made yet, per the article.

Here's what is being publicly released about this story (from today's Caledonian Record):

Hiker Finds Skeletal Remains In Franconia
BY MEGHAN McCARTHY, Staff Writer
Wednesday May 10, 2006

A hiker discovered human skeletal remains in the White Mountain National Forest in Franconia, N.H., Monday afternoon.

Police would not speculate Tuesday whether the remains could be those of a Twin Mountain man reported missing more than a year ago.

The remains, believed to be those of a man, were found in a densely wooded area off established trails, according to a press release issued Tuesday by New Hampshire State Police Lt. John K. Scarinza, commander of Troop F.

Scarinza would not identify the specific trail or trails near where the remains were found. An assortment of clothing and camping equipment was discovered near the remains, the release said.

Scarinza also declined to speculate whether the remains could be those of Robert Sypek, who was reported missing in February 2005 after his snow-covered car was found at the southern entrance to the Gale River trail head on Route 3 in Bethlehem.

Sypek was 51 years old and had been living alone at the time of his disappearance. State Fish and Game Lt. Todd Bogardus said then that Sypek was an avid hiker, and other hikers had reported Sypek often embarked on treks without adequate equipment and was known to leave trails and bushwhack during outings.

A note left in Sypek's car outlined a 16-mile route from the trail head to the Gale Head Hut along the ridge line of Mount Garfield and continuing to the Zealand Hut. Much of that route is in Franconia.

Police do not believe foul play was involved in the demise of the body discovered Monday. The state medical examiner's office is conducting an examination to determine the victim's identity and possible cause of death.

Personnel from Troop F, Fish and Game, the U.S. Forest Service, the Chief Medical Examiner's Office, the Grafton County Attorney's Office, and the Franconia police and fire departments responded to the scene after the remains were found.

The Whitefield Fire Department provided an all-terrain vehicle to assist in removing the remains and personal effects from the scene.

More details on lost hiker

Hiker Discovers Skeletal Remains In White Mountains
Medical Examiner Tries To Determine Identity

POSTED: 5:15 pm EDT May 10, 2006



FRANCONIA, N.H. -- The discovery of skeletal remains in the woods of Franconia could help solve a year-old missing-person case.

Hiker Tom Duffy, of Bethlehem, found the remains Monday while walking with his dog in the White Mountains. He had gone about 100 feet off the trail when he made the discovery.

"Walking along, I saw a tent in front of me," Duffy said. "I thought, 'Oh, that's interesting.' At first, I thought it was a homeless person camping in the woods. Then I got up a little higher, and I could see the remains scattered."

Duffy said he knew right away what he and his dog, Connor, stumbled upon.


"It was right in our way," he said. "You couldn't miss it. I had to go around the remains of his tent and the bones were laying there and the skull."

Duffy said he often comes across animal remains or moose antlers in the woods, but he never expected anything like this.

"I was glad it was daylight," he said. "It was only 3:30 or so -- not late in the afternoon even -- and although the remains were old, you still look around a little bit and think, 'This isn't a good thing.'"

Duffy said he immediately got out his GPS unit and marked the area. He made his way out of the woods and called for help. Fish and Game officials, state police and a number of local agencies came out to investigate.

"We then went to the scene Monday night and retrieved the human remains, which were transported to the medical examiner's office," State Police Detective Todd Landry said.

Authorities said the remains are that of a man and were found in a heavily wooded area off the trail between Scarface Mountain and Priest Hill. They aren't speculating on who it might be, but the only person reported missing in the area is Robert Sypek, 51.

Sypek went hiking in the area in February 2005 and hasn't been seen since. The medical examiner is trying to determine the identity of the man and how he died.

Creepy....

I was looking at maps and couldn't find a trail near there. Is there an old logging road on scarface? I remember hearing about this story. Guy must of wanted to just die alone out in the Whites. Maybe because he didnt have a lot of family or contacts? Sad, wonder how long he stayed there before before he died. Strange place to choose when you have all the rest of the pemi, must of had some signifigance. -Mattl


http://www.geocities.com/mattlacroix4/great_outdoors.html

Mattl said:

I was looking at maps and couldn't find a trail near there. Is there an old logging road on scarface? I remember hearing about this story. Guy must of wanted to just die alone out in the Whites. Maybe because he didnt have a lot of family or contacts? Sad, wonder how long he stayed there before before he died. Strange place to choose when you have all the rest of the pemi, must of had some signifigance. -Mattl

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I wouldn't jump to that conclusion. When down on luck I would think the hike he planned would have been a good way to work out of a funk. Why would someone set up camp 100 ft. from a trail to die? It could have been a heart attack, hypothermia or perhaps something else.

This is speculation on my part but I would guess that he was either in the col between Scarface mountain and priest hill or in/near the drainage of Scarface brook. Also the hilltop east southeast on the east side of the brook in relation to that col looks like a likely spot as well. Again, this is purely gross speculation on my part. If that is where he was, in my mind it would lend strong credence to the suicide theory. Unless there was some form of catastrophe he should have been able to get out. Hopefully that autopsy can give us some answers.

It’s very sad he couldn't have talked to someone and gotten help.

Keith

Stan said:

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion. When down on luck I would think the hike he planned would have been a good way to work out of a funk. Why would someone set up camp 100 ft. from a trail to die? It could have been a heart attack, hypothermia or perhaps something else.

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I disagree though I am not jumping to this as a conclusion either but, many suicides go just over one terrain feature. Behind or inside a building set off from other buildings or just over the first hill or just out of sight. They want to contemplate and be alone with their thoughts. This is very common behavior for despondent people. That doesn’t mean that they never want to be found.

Again, speculation, based on facts I am aware of with respect to other cases.

Keith

SAR-EMT40 said:

many suicides go just over one terrain feature. Behind or inside a building set off from other buildings or just over the first hill or just out of sight. They want to contemplate and be alone with their thoughts. This is very common behavior for despondent people. That doesn’t mean that they never want to be found.

Again, speculation, based on facts I am aware of with respect to other cases.

Keith

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With all due respect, but where do you get this information? Is this experience, if so where and for what? Because everything that I have learned/experienced with suicides contradicts most of your statement. Again with respect, because I am curious.

Clown said:

With all due respect, but where do you get this information? Is this experience, if so where and for what? Because everything that I have learned/experienced with suicides contradicts most of your statement. Again with respect, because I am curious.

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I could give you several anecdotes that support Keith's point, from my nearly twenty years of looking for them. I also know of at least one accessible database on the Web that shows the same point:
SAR research on despondent subjects. Near the bottom you'll see a conclusion that the geographic distribution for these subjects falls mostly into two categories -- people who just want to get out of sight and do not travel far, and people who head to a favorite or otherwise significant location.

I was looking at the map last night also and I was thinking it looked like a nice place to bag a campsite or set up a basecamp, not far from Rt 3 and an easy bushwack to the Garfield Trail, steam nearby...

sardog1 said:

I could give you several anecdotes that support Keith's point, from my nearly twenty years of looking for them. I also know of at least one accessible database on the Web that shows the same point:
SAR research on despondent subjects. Near the bottom you'll see a conclusion that the geographic distribution for these subjects falls mostly into two categories -- people who just want to get out of sight and do not travel far, and people who head to a favorite or otherwise significant location.

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Yes, that's the statistics on Search and Rescue despondents. Those statistics only include SAR and not all suicides. I agree with you that all suicide attempts that occur within the Search and Rescue category can be split into two groups (out of sight and not far) but what for all suicides in general?

edit: What I'm saying is that this is not something that happens all the time. The way it was made to sound as if people go running into the woods to kill themselves and it rarely happens that way. Many more people are found in there closet, garage, bedroom or dove off a bridge/tall building. (sorry for getting morbid on everyone)