A desperate hunt for a 60-year-old hiker who went missing in the woods near Lake Tahoe, California, on Memorial Day has been going on for almost a week.
According to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, Jason Coughran, 60, vanished on May 25 while hiking from Fallen Leaf Lake into the Desolation Wilderness region.
Just west of Lake Tahoe, the Desolation Wilderness is a 63,930-acre wilderness region with lakes and valleys created by glaciers.
Authorities reported that Coughran was last heard from around 4 p.m. that day.
Coughran was reportedly saw trekking close to Angora Peak about five hours ago, according to a missing person’s notice.
He was described as a 6-foot-2, 150-pound male adult with hazel eyes, brown hair, an athletic build, and what seemed to be khaki shorts.
According to the Mountain Messenger, the hunt for Coughran has so far involved ground teams, K9 units, and helicopters from Washoe County in Nevada and El Dorado County’s Echo One.
On Friday, the search effort was joined by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Jason Coughran, 60, disappeared on May 25 while trekking from Fallen Leaf Lake into the Desolation Wilderness area.
Coughran was last heard from at 4 p.m. on May 25. About five hours prior, Coughran was reportedly spotted hiking close to Angora Peak.
Coughran’s friend Rachel shared pictures of the 60-year-old’s day trek in the Desperation Wilderness.
Situated immediately west of Lake Tahoe, the 63,930-acre wilderness region is home to glacially carved lakes and valleys.
When Coughran vanished on Monday, the weather at Lake Tahoe was bright and pleasant, but by the next afternoon, it had become much colder and windier.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, there was also some fog and light snow that day.
Gusts exceeding forty miles per hour were recorded at South Lake Tahoe Airport.
On Saturday night, it was clear with a gentle wind and a low temperature of 33 degrees Fahrenheit, however some fog was predicted about one in the morning.
The weather might be “unpredictable in the high elevations,” which would include Angora Peak, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
When hiking in the woods, hikers were advised to make appropriate plans.
The best way to assist Coughran, according to a Reddit user who went by Rachel and claimed to be his buddy, is to “stay off the trails and let the professionals collect the data they need to collect to determine where he may have gone.”
“We run the risk of stepping on what might have been his footprints or affecting other data that could ultimately lead to his rescue or recovery if we go out there by ourselves,” she continued.
On Saturday night, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office reported that 192 individuals were engaged in the search effort.
Helicopters were employed in the endeavor, according to images and footage published by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Eighty search and rescue volunteers were dropped off into Desolation Wilderness by an Air National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter in order to continue searching for Coughran.
Additionally, authorities declared that fifty volunteers would stay overnight in the forest to carry out the mission.
Coughran had her old Apple Watch, according to Rachel, but the “find my” feature indicated that the device’s last signal was at their apartment building.
In an effort to learn more about Coughran’s potential location, she also shared pictures from his day trek.
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said that 192 people were engaged in the search and rescue operation as of Saturday night.
Eighty search and rescue volunteers were dropped off into Desolation Wilderness by an Air National Guard CH-47 Chinook chopper, according to law authorities.
In the meantime, an additional sixty volunteers arrived by car, fifty of whom planned to spend the night searching for Coughran.
The search and rescue was referred to as a “large-scale” effort by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, which states on its website that it is in charge of “protecting Californians’ lives and property.”
The agency published footage showing the employment of helicopters and drones in the hunt.
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office have been contacted by The Daily Mail for comment.
