Searchers have suspended their efforts to find a well-known 70-year-old outdoors writer who was reported missing on Mount Rainier three days ago.
Karen Sykes, 70, who wrote the 'Hike of the Week' column for the former Seattle Post-Intelligencer for years, disappeared Wednesday after she left a companion to explore a snowy part of the Owyhigh Lakes trail about 5,000 feet up and never returned.
A message on the Mount Rainier National Park information line said the three-day-search search was suspended at 3:30 p.m. Saturday but did not say why.
Sign up for breaking news alerts from NBC NewsSearch teams scoured the trail itself, some of which is snow-covered, on Thursday and on Friday and Saturday expanded their efforts to explore the surrounding areas in the hunt for the missing hiker.
Six ground teams, including search dogs, and helicopters were looking for the Sykes before the operation was suspended.
Sykes is an avid hiker with 35 years of experience and was carrying equipment to camp overnight, officials said. She was working on a piece for tourism website Visit Rainier when she disappeared.
The Park message said it would more information would be released when it becomes available.
- Phil Helsel
First published June 21 2014, 6:39 PM
Entities 0 Name: Mount Rainier National Park Count: 1 1 Name: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Count: 1 2 Name: Sykes Count: 1 3 Name: Karen Sykes Count: 1 4 Name: Mount Rainier Count: 1 5 Name: Phil Helsel Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1nssz1G Title: Search for experienced hiker missing on Mt. Rainier enters third day Description: A sprawling search for a veteran Seattle hiker and outdoors journalist who vanished in Mt. Rainier National Park has entered its third day without any trace of her, park officials said Saturday. Karen Sykes and a hiking partner were on the Owyhigh Lakes Trail on Wednesday night when they found that melting snow had cut off their path, according to a news release from the park.
