11 hikers missing since Saturday.

[Unamused Cat]

FRESNO, Calif. — Rescue crews searched the central Sierra Nevada today for nine teenagers and two adult hikers missing in a rugged area of the mountains.

The teens, ages 13 to 16, and two 30-year-old adult guides did not meet up with a third guide as planned on Saturday, Fresno County authorities said. The group was on a two-week Outward Bound adventure.

A Fresno County Search and Rescue Team, volunteer mountaineers, rescuers on horseback and a helicopter were searching the area, which has an elevation of 9,000 to 10,000 feet.

The group set out June 14 for a hiking and climbing trip in a mountainous area of the Sierra National Forest about 10 miles west of Kings Canyon National Park. They had supplies to last them through Friday, according to the Fresno County sheriff's office.

A guide who separated from the group Saturday to scout a possible climb returned to a rendezvous point later in the day, but the group never arrived. He spent two days searching on his own before reporting them missing.

The teenagers, who were not identified, came from all over the country to participate in the trip, the sheriff's office said. Their parents have been notified, authorities said.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5855533.html

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Found safe! :)

Missing hikers found: 'Everyone's fine'

Two adults and nine teenagers missing from an Outward Bound hiking program have been found safe in the central Sierra Nevada region, an Outward Bound official told CNN Wednesday.

Brad Mushovic, executive director of Outward Bound's wilderness programs, said the group had hiked out of the wilderness to a store at Florence Lake, a bit north of the immediate search area.

From there, one of the adult staff members telephoned base camp operations, he said.
"Everyone's fine," Mushovic said.

Program staff is now working on the logistics of retrieving the hikers from the store, he said.
I love a happy ending. Although some crap might be hitting the fan for a few folks.

As far as Bill Reid knew, his 14-year-old daughter's hike was proceeding normally. He never knew she had been missing since the weekend.

Outward Bound has "known about this [since] Sunday, and we didn't get notice about this until yesterday," Reid told CNN Wednesday.

"It is a scary thing to know that your child has been missing for four or five days," Reid told CNN. He said his daughter was sent to the camp with the understanding that there would be a communication link and that "she wouldn't be left alone in the wilderness."OOPS!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/25/missing.hikers/?iref=mpstoryview

[Unamused Cat]

Thanks for the update Dakota. I am glad they are safe.

[Shadow]

thank you Dakota.. I'm glad to hear all are safe and sound. With the California fires and all, I began to have very bad mental images...



~ceisdsgil

[SNOOKIE]

thank God they are safe-it's nice to hear some good news for once-and hello to everyone :happy2::happy2:

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Hi SNOOKIE! and Welcome!!

I wonder how big a stink parents will raise about not being told their kids were lost? I'd be pissed as hell! I wouldn't sue, but I would want a big fat apology and see the Outward Bound procedures tightened.

[tricia71]

Outward Bound? That's the outfit that MTV's Real World cast had to work with last year......It seems like a positive group for kids. Supposed to keep them out of trouble. They are real experience hikers and go thru a lot of training. I'm glad they were found!!!