OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — The body of a Port Angeles hiker has been found in Olympic National Park, more than a month after he was reported missing by friends Dec. 24.
James Thomas Griffin’s remains were found Sunday near the Boulder Creek trailhead by searchers who set out to make one more major effort to discover what happened to Griffin, who disappeared from the nearby Olympic Hot Springs trail.
An initial examination of the scene indicated that Griffin, 60, most likely died of exposure after becoming disoriented in the dark, wet and cold conditions Dec. 22, said Barb Maynes, spokeswoman for Olympic National Park.
The body had not been bothered by wildlife, and there was no sign of foul play, she said.
An autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death, said Tracey Lassus of the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which also acts as the coroner’s office.
The schedule for the autopsy was not immediately available.
Griffin, 60, was last seen by hikers at about 4 p.m. Dec. 22 at the Olympic Hot Springs but disappeared on his way back to the trailhead, according to park officials.
On Sunday, search teams fanned out from the area beyond the logs where his backpack was found Dec. 25, and a tracking dog led searchers to his body about one-third of a mile away and 1,000 feet higher in elevation, Maynes said.
Griffin’s backpack and other belongings were found Dec. 25, about 50 feet off the trail and a half-mile from the Olympic Hot Springs trailhead, where Griffin’s blue Subaru Forester was parked.
The search was called off Dec. 28, after heavy rain and impending snow hampered the search.
Friends had reported him missing Dec. 24 when he didn’t arrive for a Christmas Eve dinner and could not be located at his home.
Maynes said the new search was triggered by unseasonably warm, dry weather that allowed search teams and tracking dogs to work with a reduced risk to health and safety.
“Based on what was known, the circumstances, including long periods of dark, cold, heavy rains, it was the park’s decision to [go ahead with another search],” she said.
Six dog teams from the all-volunteer group German Shepherd Search Dogs searched Saturday; two teams searched Sunday.
The dog and handler that found Griffin’s body Sunday was from Bremerton and part of German Shepherd Search Dogs, Maynes said.
The area where the body was found was extremely rugged and heavily forested with downed trees, boulders and thick brush, she said.
According to information provided to the park, Griffin had no medical issues except for a previously injured leg and was not known to be distraught over any personal issues.
During the initial response, search teams and a group of Griffin’s friends searched an area up to 700 feet from where Griffin’s daypack was found, and searches included Cougar and Boulder creeks, two steep drainages nearby.
Searchers in December included Olympic National Park employees, Olympic Mountain Rescue, state Department of Emergency Management search dogs and handlers, Tacoma Mountain Rescue, Clallam County Search and Rescue, Jefferson County Search and Rescue and the German Shepherd Search Dogs group.
Griffin was not prepared for an overnight stay but was very well prepared for the day hike, with two camp stoves and a pack of fresh batteries which searchers believe was for a headlamp, park officials have said.
However, no headlamp or other light source was found with the body Sunday, Maynes said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
