I know this website has a wide reach, so I’m hoping this may help. Below is an email from the sister of Jon Francis, the Minnesota hiker missing in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. The hiker is the friend of a friend. If you know anyone in the area or have any ability to help whatsoever, I’m sure it will be appreciated. Thanks.
Wish I was writing under better circumstances…
My baby brother Jonathan Francis set-off for a hike Saturday July 15th – he has not returned. He was hiking in the Sawtooth Montains outside of Stanley, Idaho. He made it to the top of Grand Mogol by Redfish Lake. He signed the book at the summit but he has not been seen since. He is a 24-year-old long distance/marathon runner in excellent physical shape but he is obviously in trouble.
The Custer County Sherriff’s Department started searching for him on Sunday afternoon with people. dogs and a helicopter. They continued searching through yesterday but they have not found a trail or a scent and feel that the search needed to be called off. They were very cautious and we do not feel that they exhausted all possibilities. Acceptance is not a word we want to hear out of their mouths. We are not giving up the search after what we deem a short time. People have survived longer in worse conditions.This is a terrible and possibly costly decision on their part. We have been forced to do it ourselves – we have hired experienced guides on our own and are continuing without support of the Sherriffs Office, Department of Foresty or local police. Friends, hired guides and volunteers are all we have right now.
If you know anyone with contacts in the region please help. We cannot and will not give up looking for our Jon Dog. He means the world to my parents and to his sisters, nieces and nephews.
What we need is:
Help navigating the system – when the locals call it off can other gov agencies take over? 2 1/2 days is not adequate but we do not have much fight in us right now.
Experienced mountaineers – we have two guides willing to take two people with them and a handful of volunteers. The Grand Mogol is almost 10,000 feet and is rough (Class 3)
Helicopters and serach planes. The helicopter was called away on a forest fire. My Dad had to charter a Cessna yesterday but it could not fly low or as stationary as a helicopter.
Lodging – it is summer here and hotels/campgrounds are full. We need places for the searchers to stay.
If you cannot help with any of the above your thoughts and prayers will do nicely.
The Serach Party is HQ’d at the Redfish Lodge outside of Stanley, Idaho 208-774-3536. We are staying at the Mountain Village Lodge 208-774-3661 (we are in room 115 and my folks are in 112). My brother-in-law Steve has the only working cellular phone and his number is 972-897-2433. The Custer County Sherriff Office is 208-879-2232 – Gary was in charge of the the search effort.
We need to find our Jon Dog. Please, please please if you know anybody who can help let us know or show-up here.Call the media. Call the sherriff. Call the National Guard. Call anybody. Thank you.