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[pct-l] Re: UPDATE: Missing HikerJohn Donovan




-----Original Message-----
From: Karen Koontz <atinca@mindspring.com>
Sent: May 25, 2005 5:43 PM
To: dsaufley@sprynet.com
Subject: Re: UPDATE:  Missing HikerJohn Donovan

Donna,
John Donovan's trailname is Seabreeze.  I actually gave him the name because
he carries a little of the 'wee Irish whiskey' in a cleaned out Seabreeze
bottle and he also did several tours in the Navy - it seemed appropriate and
he loved it.  I wasn't aware there was another Seabreeze - that might
definitely confuse people.

John is a happy-go-lucky fellow and once you've ever heard him laugh, you
don't forget it.  He's kind, friendly, definitely a "character", a hiking
addict, and just a plain good person, definitely gregarious and social.

I know you've talked to Lynn today - he seems to be making progress with
Sgt. Meadows (at least at last report just after noon) and we're trying to
designate Lynn as the person to be calling Sgt. Meadows and 'applying
pressure' so to speak - requesting others not to call so the Sgt. doesn't
spend all his time explaining the same things to different people.  Lynn was
the last person to hike with John up to Warner Springs and he's been on the
trail with him many times before so he's definitely been able to give the
Sgt. some good info.  Coleen said the sheriff's dept called her just a
little while ago asking for John's DOB, SSN (I'm working on that now) and
Coleen has been designated as the official contact for the Missing Persons
Report.

When you are talking to the hikers, the one thing I would love to find -
someone who actually saw him get on the trail at Anza.  Although we are
almost positive he took the trail, I'd like to eliminate the slight
possibility he took the road walk (even Sgt. M. thinks it's unlikely he did
that).  Even if a hiker just heard him say he was taking the trail through
the San Jacintos in conversations (like about trail conditions) it would be
helpful.

By the way, I have posted a prayer "thread" this afternoon on a forum
website if any of the hikers have internet access and would like to read the
prayers being offered for John.  If they want to post one of their own,
they'll have to register at the site, but it's not a big deal to do so.  I
plan on printing the prayers off and giving the them to John's family at
some point and sharing them when his friends gather together in Richmond
this weekend (we badly need a group hug and moral support).  Here's the
link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/1410406/posts

God bless you for all your help,
Karen


----- Original Message -----
From: <dsaufley@sprynet.com>
To: "Karen Koontz" <atinca@mindspring.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 5:25 PM
Subject: Re: UPDATE: Missing HikerJohn Donovan


> Karen,
>
> There are hikers here right now who were among the last to have seen John
(Shamu's Trainer & Barnyard, to name a few).  There's also a report that
John and Seabreeze are NOT the same person, that there's another hiker named
Seabreeze, so there may have been two going by that name this year.
EVERYONE who met him remembers John (as gregarious and enthusiastic).
Shamu's Trainer and Barnyard said they saw him at 10:00 a.m. at
Pines-to-Palms, and he said he'd see them up the trail.  There's no
indication from anyone that he intended to get off.
>
> There is one person I would dearly love to talk to, and that is Meadow
Mary.  She's a trail angel too, driving her camper along the way and giving
support to hikers.  When last seen, John was having breakfast cooked by
Meadow Mary alongside the road.  I'll do what I can to track her down to see
what she knows, but from all accounts, John was planning to go up the trail.
And, it seems that he's just not the kind of guy that wouldn't let you all
know what was going on.
>
> My heart goes out to all of you.  I can't imagine how bad you all must be
feeling, and how helpless.  I pray for your comfort in a time of great
anxiety and fear.
>
> Donna Saufley
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Karen Koontz <atinca@mindspring.com>
> Sent: May 25, 2005 12:29 AM
> To: dsaufley@sprynet.com
> Subject: Re: John Donovan's gear info & hiking buddy Lynn
>
> Donna,
> Tonight, I called two of John's friends, Norman and Tania Hill  who live
in
> Tennessee (to let them know we'd located Lynn).  John is very close to
them,
> Tania is quite upset, and thus Norman took it upon himself to call Sgt.
> Meadows. Evidently, per his talk with the Sgt., there have been planes and
> helicopters over the area on routine missions and while not part of an
> official S&R effort, they have been alerted that a hiker is missing and
they
> are keeping an eye out for him as they fly over.  So far, they have seen
> nothing.  A S&R operation is being planned for this weekend since it will
be
> an all-volunteer effort.
>
> Your info about the hikers who will be keeping an eye out for John as they
> hike the San Jacintos they'd skipped earlier is particularly good news.
>
> Lynn and I are trying to pin down that John didn't take the road or hitch
> around the San Jacintos with something bad happening to him on the road
(hit
> by a vehicle, picked up by a bad person, etc.).  Our gut feeling is that
he
> took the trail, but we're trying to cover all the bases.  Did any of the
> hikers you talked to actually see him in Anza and if so, did any of them
> remember him saying anything about his plans (trail vs. road)?  Did any of
> them by chance actually see him get on the trail?  I know you told us that
> none of the hikers had seen him anywhere north of Anza so that further
leads
> us to believe he took the trail - please correct me if you think I'm wrong
> here.  We're doing our best to wade through the 'assumptions' and replace
> them with facts.
>
> I must confess that while no one here is giving up hope of what would
> probably be a miracle at this point, the stark reality of this situation
is
> getting increasingly difficult to deal with for all of John's friends.
> Thank you so much for your continued help.
>
> Karen
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <dsaufley@sprynet.com>
> To: "Karen Koontz" <atinca@mindspring.com>;
<tmeadows@riversidesherrif.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 9:21 PM
> Subject: Re: John Donovan's gear info & hiking buddy Lynn
>
>
> >
> > I got Sgt. Meadow's email address wrong on the last message -- it's
> tmeadows@riversidesheriff.org
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: dsaufley@sprynet.com
> > Sent: May 24, 2005 6:16 PM
> > To: Karen Koontz <atinca@mindspring.com>, tmeadows@riversidesherrif.com
> > Subject: Re: John's gear info & hiking buddy Lynn
> >
> > Karen,
> >
> > Thanks for the update.  I have more concern about the terrain than about
> the weather, but with the steep terrain and the weather combined . . .
along
> with the lack of ice axe and crampons, it's not a good scenario.  There
are
> some steep slides around Fuller Ridge that the hikers have spoken about.
> >
> > No, I haven't heard back from Sergeant Meadows yet today.  However, a
> group of hikers that skipped the San Jacintos (due to the snow when they
> were headed north) just went back down south to complete that section.
They
> have promised to look for John.
> >
> > I've copied Sergeant Meadows on this as the information you've provided
is
> very relevant.
> >
> > Donna Saufley
> > 661.268.1235
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Karen Koontz <atinca@mindspring.com>
> > Sent: May 24, 2005 5:25 PM
> > To: Donna Saufley <dsaufley@sprynet.com>
> > Subject: John's gear info & hiking buddy Lynn
> >
> > Donna,
> > John's friend Lynn, who was hiking with him early on the PCT hike just
> > called me.  He left John at Warner Springs and came back to Richmond.  I
> was
> > questioning him about John's gear to try to get an indication as to how
he
> > was equipped (re: maybe how long he could survive in bad weather) and
the
> > news isn't good.
> >
> > Per Lynn, John had no ice axe or crampons, just instep cleats and also
no
> > trekking poles.  John was wearing tennis shoes, no boots.  John tries to
> > keep his pack as light as possible and Lynn said he was carrying a pack
of
> > 13-14 pounds, probably had about 4-5 days food.  He does not have a
tent,
> > just a tarp that doubles as rain gear (poncho) and a shelter - this
> > arrangement really does not provide a well-enclosed space.  He did also
> have
> > a tyvek ground cloth.  He had a decent sleeping bag "Feathered Friends"
> > brand and a plastic garbage bag to keep it dry.
> >
> > Obviously, if John ran into bad weather (I'm thinking about that storm)
or
> > had to lay up in the mountains, he isn't particularly well-equipped in
my
> > opinion.  If his sleeping bag gets wet, he's really in trouble.
> >
> > Lynn's gut feeling, knowing John's hiking habits and based on the info
we
> > have about the maildrops (picked up Anzo, but none after that) and lack
of
> > contact, is that he's in the San Jacinto Mountains somewhere.  Lynn
might
> > try to call you this evening since he's very concerned.  His full name
is
> > Lynn Padgett.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Karen Koontz
> >
> > PS - Did Sgt. Meadows ever call back?
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> >
>
>
>
>
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