David Koch Missing in Vancouver

This has nothing to do with Naked Conversations, but it is important. David Koch, a friend of my Conferenza Partner is missing from a mountain.  If you have any helpful ideas, please email Gary Bolles or me. Here is Gary's message:

Shel: I need to ask for help. A friend of mine, David Koch, is missing on a mountain in Canada, and we need to publicize his situation so the search effort continues. I don't know if this process will work, but perhaps the blogosphere can help. Dave's the associate publisher on DMReview, a Thomson/SourceMedia publication. He drove north from Seattle last Wednesday 5/25, stopping in the late afternoon to take a tram up a mountain near Vancouver that he and his wife had visited years before. Apparently he missed the tram back, and attempted to hike down. He hasn't been heard from since.

A search effort was organized , but David's wife is concerned that interest in continuing the search may be waning.

Dave is a truly great person, and I simply can't imagine that he could be left on his own at this point. What if a number of folks in the blogosphere started writing about this to help flash attention to his situation? What if there were posts, even brief mentions with links to news stories, in every place possible? Perhaps that would get picked up in the traditional print and broadcast media as well, and keep interest high in finding him.

Who else can I email? Are there many other folks at the "head of the long tail," like Robert Scoble, whom I should contact? How else can we get this start to move? Time is obviously critical, so if you have any suggestions about how to make this happen, I'd appreciate any help you can give. Thanks

Comments

[Darren]

I'm somewhere near the head of the Vancouver long tail, I suppose. I'll post about it on my site.

Having followed plenty of search and rescue stories (living in the shadow of the Coastal Mountains), I'd expect the search to continue for at least a week from the time the hiker is lost. That seems to be typical.

Before we rouse all the troops, it's worth investigating when the search will be called off.

I called Const. John MacAdam at the North Van RCMP (cited in this story) to try to get an answer to the typical duration of a search, but he's apparently up on the mountain at the moment. I left the questoin on his voicemail, and if I get an answer, I'll let you know.

[Will Pate]

Shel, if I knew those mountains better (haven't been up on a single one of them yet) or had the gear, I'd be up there today. As it stands, I fear I'd only get lost myself.

If it's any consolation the weather has been warm during the last few days. Hopefully the good people of the North Shore Search and Rescue will find him. If anyone wants to donate to their group to help them do their brave work, here is where you can do so.

We'll keep our fingers crossed down here in the city.

[Scott]

Hey Shel, I live in North Vancouver directly in the shadows of the North Shore Mountains. I haven't heard anything about the search so far today but we were watching it yesterday. I have been watching the search helicopters fly over my house all day. I am not involved with North Shore Rescue directly but I am a volunteer with the Emergency Social Services, who work closely with them, so I will contact someone tomorrow.

The weather has been good here (actually quite warm) so hopefully as long as Mr. Koch is not injured he should be fine. Best just to stay put and let the searchers find him.

[Eric E]

According to CBC news, the search will continue Monday. His wife must be going through hell right now. My thoughts are with her.

[B.L. Ochman]

I've posted it on my blog and hope that a thousand other bloggers will do the same.
B.L. Ochman

[Kathleen]

I hiked a Grouse Mountain trail on Saturday with my two mountain climbing dogs looking for David Koch. We hike that mountain from bottom to top and back down again at least once a week. There was a summer when I hiked it every day. I know that mountain better than the back of my hand.

I saw a few seach and rescue guys wandering about. The search and rescue operation seemed to be disorganized and half hearted. Everyone I talked to seemed to think David was dead.

They refused my offer of assistance saying that they were only allowing official search and rescue personnel.

That mountain is climbed by 2500 people a day during nice weekends like this last one. It seems to me that they could have organised those people to assist with the search better than they did.

He is a big husky guy. He would not even be near to death from dehydration yet if he is lost on that mountain somewhere. It is so wild that you can see bears and hear the Grouse thumping and so close to civilization that you can hear car horns honking below.

They should not give up. They should use local hikers who know the trail intimately and they should search systematically up the mountain in a grid pattern.

God bless David and the searchers who are looking for him. They will find him, God willing. And you are very close to God on that mountain.

[KarenKoch]

Concerned at this point that they may discontinue the search tommorrow by the RCMP until the weekend which sounds absolutely insane to me, ...we are trying to get a push, as well as assistance from other areas for the search to continue just a bit longer, as it has not even been a week yet

Dear Everyone who has gone out to look for my brother,
I greatly appreciate the effort and whole hearted work of those that are assisting in David's search and rescue...I know my brother very well, and wholeheartedly agree that he is an avid outdoorsman and likely to use his skills to survive. Now, after 4 days of searching and the fact that there has been no sign of him within the search area, there is a good possibility that he has wandered beyond the search perimiter. I believe he walked the first night in the dark as I know David was probably thinking he could not be late for his meeting in Vancouver on Thursday, as well as not worry family members, and needed to get out of where ever he was which perhaps led him to probably going further than estimated. David was also under the impression that noone would look for him there as he had not informed anyone of his stop at Grouse Mountain Wednesday evening. Meaning he was less likely to stay put and wait for assistance or help on that evening believing he was the only one who could get himself out of there at that point...David has been in the woods often, canoeing, hiking, and would have the sense to venture and do what he needed to continue on I believe in these circumstances...I am also hoping that there will be continued support and effort to look for him..I am truly greatful for all the hard work and search...I just believe that David is still viable and out there just beyond areas that have been searched,...Please continue with your push for assistance I feel we are just on the brink, God Bless, heartfelt love to all from Dave's sister Karen...please feel free to contact me at my e-mail address as well in regards to this sirenlips@yahoo.com

[Don Aucutt]

I'm David's cousin. I live in Sauk City WI near Madison. Thanks to everyone who is so concerned about David Koch. He's a good guy, sturdy, resilient. I'm trusting everyone will keep pushing the search for him. I've known him since he was a little boy. Don Aucutt

[Lisa Whalen]

I am praying for Susanne and for God to bring David home safely. Please keep pushing for all search and rescue efforts to continue.

David is my dear friend, mentor and former supervisor from Thomson. Even though I left the company last year, David and I have continued our good phone conversations and had lunch together where we talked about the future and how important it is to have family and friends nearby. Please find David.

[lithohedron]

To the person who commented on the search being "Half Hearted" and "Disorganized"; I must take exception.

You have absolutely no idea how difficult it would be to organize 2500 people to help out in a search. We would know nobody's skill level, none of you would know how to use a radio, and 90% of you wouldn't even have the equipment or training to conduct the search.

The SAR people aren’t just wandering about. They are being directed from base to complete certain tasks. They record where they've been and report back to base regularly. The search is organized, methodical, and based on probabilities and best practices developed over many years.

Each searcher has completed a basic six week course and hundreds of hours of additional training. On top of that, each volunteer has probably conducted hundreds of searches, or, if they are a member in training they are with an experienced volunteer. On top of that, many searchers specialize in rope rescue, tracking, swift water rescue, helicopter rescue, avalanche rescue and mountain rescue.

The people you saw on the grind and perhaps saw in the parking lot are the tip of the iceberg. They are the ones resting or being given an easier task (and believe me the Grind in one of the easiest trails on the mountain). There are over 20 trails going down that mountain, some of them mere routes. We send out teams of two or three to comb these trails. Each one has, at this point, been covered up to three times. They've used IR cameras, dog teams, trained trackers, attraction techniques, and sign cutting. Yesterday they rappelled down cliffs, crawled through undergrowth, and climbed up running creak beds.

One searcher I saw was bleeding from about 50 scratches on his arms and legs. Another was patching blisters that were already three days old, and didn't have time to heal. I met forestry workers who had climbed up and down the mountain four times in one day, not a record by any means, but then they are not going fast because they have to be thorough. I’ve seen sunburned and dehydrated searchers come back to base to wolf down some food, and be back out in the field after 20 minutes rest.

I know you mean well, and I would suggest that if you want to help out, bring the searchers food, water and support. They are volunteers taking time off from work and school, and they feel the fact that they haven't been able to find him. If you still want to help, apply to become a member, but be aware that SAR requires over 500 hours of volunteer time a year.

Finally, NSR and the 10 or so neighboring search teams being called in from as far away as the Sunshine Coast, Whistler, and the Fraser Valley are professionals in every sense of the word. They are dedicated, exceptionally skilled, and determined. I know because I’ve been a member of one of those neighboring teams for five years and I’ve been on the search for David since Friday the 27th.

[Laura Oberheide]

Our prayers & all positive thoughts are with our dear friends David & Suzanne. We have thought of virtually nothing else this past weekend, and wonder what we can do to "apply pressure" in order to keep the search/rescue effort going (if there is anyone who knows how to survive up there, be it known -- it is Dave).

Our local Wisconsin persuasion is perhaps the BEST source of influence for David's cause (since this is his home) ... but there is power in numbers, so we NEED the COLLECTIVE VOICE! I have placed phone calls today to the various offices of US Senator Russ Feingold (from Wisconsin). I have e-mailed everyone I know, supplying them with these telephone #'s, urging them to also place the calls. Our goal, of course, is to request for the continued search for David. (KEY: AMERICAN manpower is critical, so PLEASE call. Ask Mr. Feingold -- or likely, a member of his staff, to contact his constituants in Washington State for their hand in this effort. Dave is up there somewhere!)

Russ Feingold: in Washington, D.C.:#202-224-5323
In Milwaukee, WI: #414-276-7282

I first met David about 10 years ago, back in the "good old days" of DM Review, when it was still a privately- held pub & our team consisted of a dozen (of the wackiest people I have ever met, mind you -- meant in the best possible way!) I have MANY fond memories of working & laughing together with Dave...

Even more importantly, though, is the friendship that my husband Rob and I have grown to know with Dave & Suzanne over the passing years ... it has evolved & is a true gift. They are such dear friends to us, and some of the BEST people who we are graced to know. David's laugh can turn any frown upside down -- and his love of life is simply infectious to be around.

So, my plea to you who is reading this now: PLEASE be proactive in this effort & place a phone call. Godspeed to our buddy & dear friends!

We love you,
Laura, Rob & Olivia Oberheide

[Kathleen]

Regarding the quality of the search. I stand by my words. There are people out there like myself who have climbed Grouse so ofter over the years, sometimes every day that would be invaluable.

I know every footfall on the Grouse Grind better than I do the way to my bathroom from my bedroom and I know the BCMC trail almost as well.

This is not the time to be grandstanding on etiquet. The North Search and Rescue guys did not care that it was the American Air Force that plucked them off Mount Logan. So what if North Shore Search and rescue has to recruit lowly Grinders like myself and others at this time of emergency.

If that young man is lost because the SAR Techs were too busy being prima donna/martyrs then hell should be paid.

The minute they realized that he was really missing the resort should have been shut down like a Wal-Mart when a kid is abducted.

Clues on the mountain and on the trails such as footprints and broken branches that a scout could have deciphered would have been noticed.

When I was at the hill at the chalet it was business as usual. You would have never known that a young man could have been lying hurt and helpless in the woods.

The more I think about it this "search" totally sucked.

[friend]

I really am hoping for good news.

Dave, please find your way back. Give the workers a sign or something. God is with you.

[Warren]

I can't believe there are actually people coming in here and questioning the motives of these selfless individuals who have put their lives on hold to aid in the search of this missing man! Just like everyone else here, each day I hope that when I open the newspaper or turn on the TV that I will see images of a tired but alive David Koch being taken off the mountain, but for reasons that remain unknown to everyone, that hasn't happened yet. The North Shore Search and Rescue has located over 1800 people since it was first created, and during that time only TWO people were never found. Every individual on the mountain has volunteered their own time in this search and they should be commended for their effort. The searchers have examined every square foot of the mountain, 100 meters on either side of all paths and trails, and have now ruled out the possibility that he got lost hiking.

The weather has turned to rain and fog the last few days and it has cooled down considerably which has slowed what's left of the search. The man in charge has stated that as soon as the weather improves the search will continue.

Coming from someone who knows the terrain on Grouse Mountain, it is very important that the in-experienced who are making an attempt to find David stick to the trails and not venture too far off the beaten path. The last thing we need is another missing person. Any time spent rescuing "helpers" is time taken away from the search for David.

To the person who is spending time bad-mouthing the search: why not spend your energy doing something PROACTIVE? If you know the mountain so well, why not get up there and help out?

[Scott]

I am going to keep posting regular updates on my blog, because I live walking distance from the mountain, and because I know the mountain. I have also been contacting the local media here. We are all still holding out hope for David.

I am a member of one of the many local search and rescue teams providing mutual aid to the North Shore team. I commiserate with the frustration sensed by outside observers, and the sense of anxiety felt by those who know David well. Perhaps some details with my perspective may help. On Friday at 1400 hrs my team (one of many involved) was airlifted to a high point on Grouse Mtn. and spent the next six hours searching numerous trails, far from David’s last known point. On Saturday at 0800 hrs we were again flown by helicopter to a new search area. Note that the higher elevations encompassed by the search, including our drop-off point, are blanketed by five feet of snow. Eight hours later, after fifteen kilometers travel searching trails, ridges and drainages, we were airlifted out, completely exhausted, frustrated by our lack of success. Monday at 1230 hrs I returned to take part in the search, now concentrated in the high risk, technical (read vertical) terrain prevalent in this area. At 2145 hrs, now in darkness, we road the tram down, completely spent physically and emotionally. We are currently prevented by weather from continuing an effective, safe search. For those of you expressing a desire to aid in finding David, kudos to you. I applaud your sense of compassion and willingness to help. Keep in mind however that the search to date has been conducted by very competent, highly trained and extremely dedicated personnel who take great pride in the roles they play. I will personally not lead a team into the field unless I am certain that every member of that team possesses the skills and equipment adequate for the task. The thought of untrained people searching this area is, quite bluntly, frightening to me. I continue to hope, as all our members do, that David will be found alive. We, as Search and Rescue volunteers, offer our time and expertise to ensure that he has the best chance possible of surviving his ordeal. Know that this search will not be called off due to lack of commitment or funds. It will only be terminated when the conclusion is reached that further efforts would be ineffective.

[Kathleen]

My complaint is not necessarily with North Shore Search and Rescue. From personal experience I can say that I owe my son's life to them. They rescued him and airlifted him and his two friends out when they were lost at Cypress Bowl. He was lost in Australian Gully off Cypress Bowl and swept down the gully in an avalanche during the night in January 1998.

But everyone can learn from experience. I stand by my statements that once it was determined that a human being was lost and out of contact on the mountain, that is at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday May 26, 2005, the Grouse Mountain resort and all of its operations should have been shut down completely save for the rescue operations.

Lowly grinders could have been conscripted to systematically and carefully (without disturbing evidence that would help tracking scouts or dogs or making noise that would drown out calls for help) could be assigned well traveled areas of the Grouse Grind and BCMC trails freeing up the experienced SAR tech's for more difficult terrain.

As it was the Grouse Mountain Resort did not lose a dime of down time to the search, thousands of hikers travelled the trails making noise and destroying potential evidence.

The man is not found. If this is the best that Grouse Mountain Resort and North Shore Search and Rescue can do, it is simply not good enough.

Lets learn from this experience, and change the protocol for searches in this situation. I am hiking that mountain every week and if I was lying injured and helpless in a gully somewhere it would tick me off to no end to here the laughing, joking, and yelling of happy hikers tramping merrily up the mountain.

Note that David was not reported missing until 0800 on Friday 27th,too late (my humble opinion) for shutting down the mountain to have any benefit.

[Warren]

Whether they were pro-actively searching or are just going about their routine, extra bodies on the mountain are still extra people who could potentially come across some kind of evidence that could help find a missing person.

Let's face it, no matter how much is done, even if a missing person is found, someone is going to have something to complain about.

[lithohedron]

Neither Search and Rescue nor police can "conscript" people to take part in searches.

Neither can we accept volunteers who just walk in off the street, for obvious reasons: we have no idea who you are, what your experience level is, or weather you can work in a team and take orders. You have no certification, nor documentation other that your word, which in my experience (given the people who sometimes apply to be members of the team) is not something we can always trust.

I shudder to think of taking people out into the terrain that we searched in over the past few days without having trained with them, and learned to trust them. In all but the simplest of tasks (i.e. walking the trails) I could not trust a member of the public. Given that the public is walking the trails anyway you're already doing as much as you can; I encourage you to continue to do so.

In the past when members of the public have been allowed to help out on tasks like this is has been under controlled circumstances. Even then, as a searcher I have had to spend the majority of my time asking and even begging for the people off the street to concentrate on the assignment we've been given, and not to go wandering off on their own (which negates the systematic search methods that have been developed over the years, not to mention that they could become lost themselves).

Finally I’d like to say that although some of your ideas may seem obvious, what is equally obvious is that other people have though of them. We would like nothing more than to be able to hit that mountain with thousands of people, find our person in an hour or so and have a happy ending to this search. There is no joy in hours of fruitless searching, no honour in somehow hoarding the task to be performed by a small group of people, and only frustration and exhaustion to be experienced by the many searchers when there is nothing to show for their efforts. We have nothing to gain by turning down your efforts to help, so believe me when I say we have good reasons for approaching the problem they way we do.

Nothing could have been more uncontrolled than the circus that actually went on with hikers yelling and thumping up the trail as they always do mixed in with "professional" search and rescue guys in a crazy melee.

[you're in my praayers]

My prayers are with Dave and his family! I hope someone finds you soon Dave..... God Bless

[Leia Hahn]

I too am convinced that Dave is still alive and just must be beyond where the search teams have been. I have had the pleasure of meeting Dave and getting to know Suzanne who is a wonderful warm person. I have sent prayer chains and my husband and I continue to pray for Dave's return. God Bless all of you and your efforts. Keeping the faith.

Leia Hahn

[Kathleen]

Where there is life, there is hope. But more importantly, where there is hope, there is life. Never, never, never give up.