OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — A tracking dog picked up the scent of a missing hiker today on the morning of the third day of the search in the Sol Duc area.
Two helicopters and a 46-person search and rescue team are looking for 45-year-old Mary O’Brien of Arlington, Mass., near Boston.
A tracking dog from Grays Harbor Search and Rescue found O’Brien’s scent along the Sol Duc River again today, said Jacilee Wray, a spokesperson for the park’s search and rescue operation.
The dog had found her scent earlier in the search, but lost it at Sol Duc Falls, said Larry Nickey, the park’s fire management officer and incident commander in charge of the search, on Thursday.
Because of the new scent, the dog team and rescuers have crossed the Sol Duc River to search the opposite bank, thinking O’Brien may have crossed the river, Wray said on Friday.
The river is crossable there, she said.
The ground search will continue along the Sol Duc River basin up to Appleton Pass.
The park also airlifted a six-person team from Olympic Mountain Rescue to a site near the High Divide above Deer Lake.
The team will search off the trail through the trees and snow down to the lake today.
Other searchers continue to focus on the Seven Lakes Basin and the Sol Duc and Hoh Lake areas, said Wray.
Searchers believe that O’Brien camped at the Sol Duc Campground, site no. 62, on Monday night and began her hike Tuesday morning toward the High Divide.
The search began at dawn Wednesday after friends in Seattle expecting to give her a ride to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport called the park to report she had not arrived.
O’Brien is described as a strong, experienced hiker and in good health.
She is 5-feet-6-inches tall, according to the park’s information, and has brown hair, blue eyes and a scar on the front of her neck.
She may be wearing black or light blue hiking pants, a light blue soft shell jacket, and carrying a red or orange backpack and ice ax.
Anyone who may have seen O’Brien in the Sol Duc Campground or on the trail is asked to contact park dispatch at 360-565-3115.
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Reporter Randy Trick can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at randy.trick@peninsuladailynews.com.
