Missing Blue Lake Hiker Found Dead
Photos taken on Sunday of Daniel Komins on Thompson Peak. [Photo to the left by Arjun Mukerji, Photo to the right sent by Daniel Komins to his girlfriend.]
The Trinity County Search and Rescue team has released the following information:
The Search and Rescue efforts pertaining to Daniel Komins continued throughout the day of August 18, 2019.
The twelve Search and Rescue teams, referenced in previous press releases, began searching their respective areas around first light.
During the late morning, a California Highway Patrol helicopter observed what appeared to be a backpack. The backpack had been off trail, between L Lake and Mirror Lake.
Ground search teams, who were already near the area, went to the location of the backpack in an effort to recover it. The backpack was recovered and later determined to have belonged to Komins.
Search and Rescue members continued to search the area near the backpack, and later located Komins, who was deceased.
Komins’ remains were flown from the area via helicopter.
A preliminary investigation appears to indicate that Komins may have fallen in the steep and rocky terrain.
Although this was not the outcome that was wanted, the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office as well as family members of Komins, wanted to thank the Search and Rescue members as well as all other volunteers, for assisting in bringing Daniel Komins home.
Once additional information is obtained, further press releases shall be issued.
Persons of Interest:
Daniel Komins, Date of Birth: April 12, 1985Agencies involved:
Trinity County Sheriff’s Office
Trinity County Search and Rescue
Trinity County Sheriff’s Auxiliary
Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit
Butte County Search and Rescue
California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
California Highway Patrol
California National Guard
Contra Costa County Search and Rescue
Marin County Search and Rescue
Civil Air Patrol
Shasta County Search and Rescue
United States Forest Service
UPDATE: Photo from the CHP Northern Division Air Ops:
CHP helicopter used in the search for Daniel Komins. [Photo from CHP Northern Division Air Ops]
- 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
- This Morning, Teams Prepare to Search Trinity Alps In Area Where Hiker Went Missing
- Over 40 Searchers Joined Helicopter and ATV Teams Looking for Missing Hiker
- Around 60 Personnel Search For Humboldt County Man Missing in the Trinity Alps
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Loving thoughts & prayers to his family & friends. Thank you to all the rescuers for their great efforts.
Oh no. I’m so sorry.
Makes me cry.. was praying for happy outcome..glad he was found to be brought home .
Sad tears, My condolences to the family and friends. We were all hoping and praying for a happy ending.
My sincere condolences to his family and friends. Sounds like he was a great person and was doing what he loved.
Tears in my eyes.
Condolences to all.
I know its not just his immediate family who will take this loss hard, the entire fire rescue community lost one of their own.
At the very least he passed in a place he loved doing what he loved.
Hoping he passed quickly.
Sending all the love in the world to his family, girlfriend&community of friends.
May the other missing folks be found soon.
Sincerely sorry. Prayers for family, friends and searchers.
I hope all those searchers are now redeploying to find the missing 73 year old man
Agreed. My condelences to all.💙
Oh man, I was hoping for a better outcome. Sad.
My condolences to family and friends 💔
Sending my deepest condolences to Dan’s family, friends and co-workers. I was hoping for a better ending. May you all find peace.
Very sorry. Condolences to his family and loved ones. He was a bright light from what it sounds like.
Beautiful soul.
Dammit. Was praying for good news. I’m very sorry to all his family and friends. Rip
so sorry, been in that area many times. he was my kind of man.
~please may the thoughts-in-words read in here, lighten the load some for Daniel’s girlfriend, his family and his friends.
Kym thank you.
Youre such an incredible resource and person!
I know youll say the search and rescue folks are the ones to thank, but you are in the diificult place of being the messenger.
You do that with respect and with facts. You have morals.
You are much appreciated and i hope we all remember to donate to you.
I think we sometimes forget how lucky we are to have a reporter we can contact directly&whom we can trust especially in an emotional situation.
Many thanks 💖
Thank you!
I knew Dan. He was a really nice person. My love to those who are missing him.
He has been on my mind all day. Tragic news. At least he was already in Paradise.
Darn. Montjoux protect us and watch over us.
Damn RIP man condolences to the family and friends and his girlfriend, I read every word of every post and kept thinking this guys gnarly out there just a pack and himself for that long .
R.I.P.
My deepest sympathy to his friends and family. Everything that could be done was done, which is a testament to him and all of you who looked.
Very sad.
Had kept checking and wanting to know, that like the little girls in Benbow last spring, he would be found alive.
A miracle not to be.
This is SO SAD!!
Condolences to all who knew and loved Dan.
His passion is inspiring.
And blessed are we to have such a caring community of people to show up, from near and far, for one single person who may need help. Remarkable!
So sad. Was hoping for the best. Hope he didn’t suffer.
Learn from other’s mistakes: don’t hike (or off road) alone. Things happen to even the most experienced and well prepared.
Condolences to the family. 😢
Mirror lake upper right of photo.
So sad…..
?
Here
.
A good, kind man who did amazing things, gone too soon. To his mom, girlfriend, coworkers and the larger community rooting for him, I’m so sorry.
Ah damn… he was such an experienced hiker and outdoorsman, I really thought he had just got lost and was going to be found alive. He was doing everything right too, even checking in through GPS. Just goes to show that freak accidents can happen to the most experienced. My condolences to his family and extended family of first responders. I didn’t know him but Humboldt county lost a good one. I’m sorry
What a tragic loss. Not often we hear so much good in one person. I hope we can read more about this man and his accomplishments. So often we hear and read about the opposite. Why do the good and the best die so young.
“A flower bloomed already wilting. Beginning its life with an early ending.”
R.J. Gonzales
So devastated to hear of this. I’ve been praying for a safe return. Wondering if he died instantly & if his GPS receiver was found on him. My heart aches for Susie, Michael, Zach, his girlfriend, Carli, and all who loved remarkable Daniel. As the other hikers said he was “chill, relaxed, & in his element”. He seemed happy doing what he loved in the beauty of the Trinity Alps.
Thank you to Kym & “Redheaded Blackbelt” for keeping us so well informed! So grateful to the rescue & search teams! Zach: would you keep me informed.
I was fortunate enough to have crossed paths with Dan several years ago when he was a behavioral aide for my autistic son in our home. His passion for hiking was quite evident and we often talked about where his next hiking experience would find him. He wanted to share his love of the outdoors with the special needs folks he worked with and expressed an interest in organizing camping/hiking experiences for them (commensurate with their interests & abilities), so they could enjoy nature as he so passionately did. I remember his enthusiasm when he discussed his training with the Blue Lake Fire Dept. at the time and I jokingly teased him that he’d have to cut his beautiful long hair and bushy beard to meet the department requirements. (He looked the part of a mountain man!) Hearing the sad news of his passing was like a gut punch. Dan was a kind, compassionate man who obviously dedicated his life to helping others in many capacities. I feel honored to have shared time with such a fine man.
For anyone scrambling over boulders, please wear a helmet. As an experienced outdoorsman, I can say that most of my closest brushes with death have come from almost tripping on a boulder descent with a large backpack on. Prayers for his family, and thank you for the service to all the local programs Dan. God bless.
Agreed! And, not hiking alone. NO ONE is experienced enough.
Condolences to family and friends.
beyond sick of all these people saying not to live life. Do you freak out every time you see someone getting in a car, cuz 30,000 people a year die in car accidents as opposed to 140 people hiking alone or with others. Do you run up to everyone smoking a cigarette and start freaking out? How about you let other people live their lives. Some people believe living life to the fullest is worth dying for. So shut up with your stupid advice.
Smoke em if you got em, I say. Too many humans!
I am so very sorry to learn that Daniel was found deceased. With all the searcher’s looking for him, I hoped he would be found alive. My deepest prayers and love for his family and friends. An endless thank you to everyone involved in looking for him. May he RIP.
Deepest condolences to Carli and others who loved Dan. My heart goes out to you. Kudos to search and rescue teams for successfully mobilizing on rugged terrain. I hit summits in the Trinity Alps and it was one of the more dangerous areas my trail crew worked in the Cascades. I did not summit the crags or scramble up slipping gravel alone. Dan sounds like a brave and kind person I would’ve liked to meet on the trail. May his good acts always be remembered
https://pbase.com/losthiker/image/82069120
A picture is worth a thousand words… this was where he was going to or coming from.
I know it isn’t much, but find solace in the fact that died in a place he loved. Condolences to all involved.
thanks Ullr……love your contribution and sage comments. As a TA Wilderness lover, Hiker, and climber I am so sorry for his loved ones, may they find solace in the fact that he went doing what he loved most……us adventurers in this life really hope for that, no matter what the passion is.
Off Topic, USFS Ranger Jim , Weaverville , retired as many of you must know. There was another man with love of the Trinities in his heart. Beware of info coming out of the WVRVL Ranger Station now. I had a run in recently with the newest person there who was giving out wrong and non sensical info to folks who had flown across the country to him the Alps.
You’re welcome. I try to offer something other than the usual cacophony.
Do you care to share what “wrong and non sensical info” the ranger was giving out? Is he from around here?
Hi Ullr……It was a very rude woman, I didn’t catch her name, unfortunately; I Had my finger on my map to ask one question about the Swift Creek Thd, which I have used many times. She literally ripped MY MAP outta my hands, telling me it was the wrong map, started waving her “brand new better” version around……..so, we didn’t get off to a good start, shall we say ? I was haulin’ ass, literally, am now packing with Mammoth stock donkeys. Just wanted to remind myself there was indeed parking room for a very small horse trailer and she just went off about NO CAMPING AT ANY TRHD anywhere ! ????
Then the kids came in from Virginia, had all kinds of plans to hike different trails around the Alps, that is when it became VERY clear the woman knew NOTHING. I took them outside to the map and answered all their questions and advised them to go back in there and BUY A MAP which they were not Going to do. I got them straightened out , they got their map and off they went , hopefully to a great trip.
Speaking of mis Burras, they carry , I walk……but they are also rideable in case of emergency ! Plus lots of fun !
Big asses, eh? Thanks for heads-up on the Weaverville Ranger.
I got goats to use for packing up technical trails but they failed to train me properly. As I get older, pack animals are more and more attractive. My dogs don’t carry enough and don’t like to be ridden.
I looked at a lot of google earth pics yesterday — I was trying to see where a route would be between the 2 drainages — didn’t spot that chute — looks fairly dangerous — I was going to climb Thompson on that last full moon from the cecilville side — work got in the way — R.I.P.
what the hell happened?
Why was his backpack not on him? How did it get so far from his body? Was all his electronics and wallet on his person?? RIP Brother we go back all the way to little league
My understanding is that the backpack fell off during the course of a long fall.
Was his electronics and wallet in the backpack or on him?? If a backpack is on tight with both straps tight I find it difficult for it to come off even with a bad tumble end over end
What dreadful news this is. My deepest condolences to all his loved ones.
theres some pics of this search / rescue / recovery on the California highway patrol northern air operations site — it seems chp helo h-16 made the discovery of the backpack which led the ground SAR to the body — these chp flyboys are world-class pilots — they do most of the rescues on mt shasta too — I watched that same copter pull a woman off the avalanche gulch route a few years back — she slipped on the steep upper gulch , 13,000 feet , fell 1000 feet and stuck her ice axe through her neck — ouch , I hate it when that happens ! — she recovered and lived to climb another day — CLIMB SAFE !!
Thank you for that! I added a photo from them and a link to their Facebook page.
[Edit–for heaven’s sake]
YES DEAR
Rest in Peace.
the CHP helicopter used in this operation is the same model that landed on top of mount Everest — eurocopter as-350-b3 — its the high performance version — capable of flying 20,000 feet higher than the trinity alps Thompson peak
Wow! That IS a fun fact.
Kym, Did they find the gps? Is there a report showing where he was and if it was a head injury? deep condolences
Law enforcement usually gives that information to family and doesn’t share with everyone but I know his backpack was found and likely the GPS was in it. Daniel was found near Mirror Lake. No autopsy reports have been released but I don’t think they will be that isn’t normally done.
thank you! 🙁
[…] the Canyon Creek trail head in Trinity County only a few miles from where volunteer firefighter and EMT Daniel Komins died during a solo hike in early August. The two were medivacked out of the remote and rugged mountainous area by a Coast Guard helicopter […]