PORT ANGELES — Why James Thomas Griffin set off at nightfall in the cold rain up a steep, densely forested slope on a deadly hike remains a mystery a week after his body was found.
Griffin, last seen Dec. 22, was reported missing Christmas Eve in Olympic National Park.
Search-party cadaver dogs found the Port Angeles resident’s remains Jan. 25 about a third of a mile from the popular Olympic Hot Springs Trail and less than a mile from the trailhead, where his Subaru was parked.
Results from the autopsy performed last Tuesday on Griffin, 60, will be released to the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office after toxicology tests are completed in six to eight weeks, Dr. Eric Kiesel, a Tacoma forensic pathologist, said Friday.
Park authorities said he probably died of hypothermia.
The cause of Griffin’s death will be released after the autopsy is completed, said Mark Nichols, Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney.
The cause of death is the only information from the autopsy that can be released without permission from family members, he said.
Griffin was last seen at about 4 p.m. Dec. 22 at Olympic Hot Springs before he disappeared on his way back to the trailhead, according to park officials.
His remains were on the ground about a third of a mile up a heavily forested slope off the well-travelled Olympic Hot Springs Trail, park Ranger Sanny Lustig said.
The trail is an old roadbed. Parts of it are wide enough for two small cars to pass in opposite directions.
Griffin’s pack, found Dec. 25 about 50 feet off the trail at an elevation 1,000 lower than where his body was found, contained food, water, snacks and fire-starters. An unfinished bag of prepared food was nearby.
The weather was rainy and was in the mid-30s Dec. 22 and Dec. 23.
It was probably raining heavily when Griffin likely went up the slope, Lustig said.
“Very sadly, he got lost in the dark.”
When he was found, Griffin was wearing long pants, a jacket and hiking shoes, but no rain gear.
“We have no idea what path he took to get to that spot,” Lustig said.
“Even though it was very steep, it was rugged enough that it might have been hard to tell what direction he was going.
“He may not have realized how much distance he was covering,” she said.
“We don’t think there’s any indication he intended to get separated from his pack and the trail, and it doesn’t take very long before you are.
“The truth is, you don’t have to be very far from the trail to get very lost.”
Lustig said there was no indication anyone else was in the area when Griffin went up the slope or in the area where his body was found.
“There’s no reason to think anyone was near him when he stopped and placed his pack where he did,” she added.
Rescue personnel began looking for Griffin on Dec. 24.
They conducted a grid search of a 500-foot radius around the location of the backpack, including the base of the slope that Griffin had climbed, park spokeswoman Barb Maynes said Friday.
The area included Boulder and Cougar creeks, two steep nearby drainages.
They called off the search Dec. 28 after heavy rains and impending snow.
After the weather turned unseasonably warm and dry, the search was renewed Jan. 24 with the addition of six dog teams.
Griffin’s body was found the next morning among downed trees, boulders and thick brush.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
