OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Searchers have found no clues in the Ozette area to the whereabouts of a hiker who was reported overdue on Wednesday, a national park spokeswoman said late Friday.
The Seattle family of Bryan Lee Johnston, 71, said he had left Aug. 22 for a two- or three-day trip to the Olympic National Park, according to park spokeswoman Barb Maynes.
No sign of Johnston has been found since search began Wednesday, and no one reported seeing him on the Ozette Loop Trail, Maynes said.
Johnston has white hair worn in a ponytail, blue eyes and is 5 feet, 10 inches tall. When last seen, he was wearing blue jeans and carrying a black day pack.
Today, three dog teams from Pierce County Search and Rescue are searching the area along with five park ground crews, Maynes said.
Rangers found Johnston’s truck at the Ozette Ranger station on Wednesday during a quick search that began within an hour of the report from the family.
“We have no indication of where he went after getting out of the truck,” Maynes said.
“We assume he went on the Loop Trail because that’s what he had told his family he was going to do, but we have no evidence of where he went.”
The intensive search has included both the Ozette Loop Trail and the surrounding area, including the lake and back roads, Maynes said.
Searchers also have walked the coastline between Shi Shi Beach and the Norwegian memorial, covering areas both north and south of the outlet of Lake Ozette to the Pacific Ocean, she said.
Receipts found in Johnston’s truck placed him in Port Angeles on Aug. 22, the day he left Seattle.
Family members described Johnston as active and physically fit, Maynes said.
Anyone who has seen Johnston or has information regarding his whereabouts is asked to phone Olympic National Park at 360-565-3120.
