Over 40 Searchers Joined Helicopter and ATV Teams Looking for Missing Hiker
Daniel Komins, crop of a photo taken Sunday.
This is a press release from the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office:
The Search and Rescue efforts pertaining to Daniel Komins continued throughout the day of August 16, 2019.
The efforts included over forty individual ground searchers, as well as numerous helicopter teams and various all-terrain vehicle teams. Additionally, several ground searchers were inserted via helicopter to high elevation areas, in order to search hard to access trails.
Although the efforts have continued, Komins has yet to be located. Several additional backpackers have been located who had contact with Komins on August 11, 2019. Based on the information provided by these individuals, additional areas have been plotted to be searched, as it appears that Komins may have deviated from his initial itinerary.
It should be noted that during the contact with Komins on August 11, 2019, he had reportedly been in good health and with a supply of food, water and backpacking materials.
The Search and Rescue efforts will continue on August 17, 2019. Numerous other Search and Rescue teams have responded to the area in order to assist in the search.
For clarification purposes, the Global Positioning System device which Komins had been carrying is not transmitting any signal. It is this information, which makes it appear that the device is operating inappropriately.
Once additional information is obtained, supplemental press releases shall be issued.
Persons of Interest:
Daniel Komins, DOB: April 12, 1985Agencies involved:
Trinity County Sheriff’s Office
Trinity County Search and Rescue
Butte County Search and Rescue
Marin County Search and Rescue
Contra Costa County Search and Rescue
California Highway Patrol
UPDATED: This Morning, Teams Prepare to Search Trinity Alps In Area Where Hiker Went Missing
Earlier Chapters with more information:
- Blue Lake EMT Missing After Hike in Trinity Alps
- Missing Hiker’s Companions Located and They Know He Was in Good Health Monday Morning
- Band of Brothers (and Sisters): Local Fire and Medical Community Gather to Search for Missing Hiker
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That’s great all these agencies have come together to find Mr. Komins. Resources used appropriately. I think he’ll be found.
The sentence concluding with “…the device is operating inappropriately” is odd. Is it not operating at all or is it operating in a way that doesn’t lead SAR to his location? The preceding sentence is clear: “…the Global Positioning System device which Komins had been carrying is not transmitting any signal. ” Then is made less clear with the subsequent sentence.
From what I understand, it isn’t reachable in any fashion nor is it transmitting a signal that can be discerned (it is possible it is transmitting a signal in a thickly wooded area but it isn’t getting through for instance.)
Or out of batteries? 🤔
It sounds like he was using just a basic garmin gps receiver, as well as a cell phone. Somehow he was able to text photos to his friend from the upper reaches of the Canyon creek drainage, he was probably hitting the Oregon mountain cell site. Once he dropped into another drainage he would have lost cell reception. I really encourage folks to study, take the 30 question test and get your ham radio technicians license. This allows you to use publicly allocated vhf spectrum to communicate with other licensed individuals and repeaters. For instance, i can bring up the repeater on Bully Choop mtn. with my handheld radio and talk to anyone else that can “see” the repeater, which is a pretty large area of the north central valley and trinity county. It’s not a guarantee if you are deep in it somewhere, but it beats a cell phone in terms of getting out.
~ham radio – EXCELLENT idea. Not if, but when the power goes off, we would still be able to communicate. Sounds like you’re up-to-speed on this, Erik. Wish i was.
Thompson peak itself usually has cell service. So he was able to place a phone call to his girlfriend and the upload his picture to Facebook, while he was at the peak.
Sunday night at his campsite he used his Garmin inReach mini to send out a pre selected “all according to plan” message from his campsite. So we know there hasn’t been GPS communication since Sunday evening. We don’t know the reason that there is no GPS communication, whether that’s because he is injured/incapacitated, the device is broken, or the device was dropped to a location he can’t get to in order to press a button on it.
There are things like a Spot GPS beacon that sends automatic texts like “I’m ok” with coordintes. Advanced models let you text with a paired phone through GPS satellites. You can turn on to send an “I’m ok” signal but you never get confirmation that the message linked up and sent. You can also leave the thing on and it will track every 30 minutes or so. The batteries are lithium and typically last a long time. If he is stuck in a crevasse there may be no way to get the signal out.
Personally, I like hiking with an experienced group of hikers and avoid solo hiking, since I’ve learned that things don’t always go to plan, and when an incident turns major, it’s good to have one or more pair of helping hands close by.
I’ve heard lots of mention about SAR teams but no mention if scent dogs are a part of any of these teams. Anyone know?
There are no scent dogs on these teams.
From my understanding it’s tough to get a starting location on where he was located, except for from his car, which is miles away at the trailhead, and many people have walked on that path since, and there’s a good chance a dog could get thrown off the scent. I’m not 100% clear, though.
So many thanks to all the searchers.
Please let the community know how we can support the searchers and dans loved ones.
We are here for you all.
Searchers you are incredibly appreciated!!!
May dan feel all the love being sent his way.
Hard scramble up from sapphire, leads you to Caribou lake to Josephine into coffee creek drainage. Either way it’s pretty rugged all in there. We’ve Spent countless hours beyond helicopter’ing the area (not for the search yet)
Photo- looking up coffee creek upper salmon river headwaters. Or the hard scramble trail out of sapphire/sawtooth.
That is beautiful…
The folks he had contact with on the 11th and indicated he may have deviated from original plan seems suspect to me! Just sayin….
You must live in the city and never been to trinity. Or backwoods anywhere.
You dont get our culture and thats fine with me, just sayin.
I’m really hopeful that Dan is gonna come out on his own or be located. Are there any details about what deviations he may have taken? There are miles of forest road outside the wilderness area, If he’s on the move, he’s bound to hit one of those tracks or trails that will take him to safety…. Sending a lot of positive thoughts to him and all the searchers.
Trinity Alps is unforgiving and vast. Have heard crazy stories of people being lost up there for weeks. Hope he is found soon. I have been lost in the woods in Oregon (hunting). No fun. Raining. Panic. And was embarrassingly found by search and rescue. Those who are putting there time for in looking for him…… thank you. You are all hero’s in my book.