PORT ANGELES — About 30 people searched Wednesday for any sign of a hiker missing in Olympic National Park.
Duane Miles, 78, of Beaver was reported overdue on Saturday after he failed to return from a day hike on Wednesday, Oct. 20.
He had told friends he intended to hike off-trail south of the Graves Creek Campground and exit near Graves Creek corral, said Deputy Superintendent Lee Taylor.
“Despite extensive search efforts involving both dog teams and foot searchers, so far no clues to Miles’ whereabouts have been found,” Taylor said in a press release issued Wednesday morning.
No additional information was available later in the day.
Miles is described as a fit and very skilled hiker who often travels alone off-trail looking for shed elk antlers.
He was last seen on Oct. 19 at the Graves Creek trailhead wearing black rain pants and a camouflage jacket. He was known to carry a dark-colored backpack. Miles is 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighs 185 pounds and has blue eyes.
His vehicle is parked at the Graves Creek Campground, and the search is focused in that area.
The search on Wednesday included National Park Service staff as well as searchers from Olympic Mountain Rescue, Everett Mountain Rescue and Olympic Corrections Center trackers.
The search began late Saturday with a quick look around the area around his car. Sunday’s windy, rainy weather curtailed search efforts, but on Monday the search intensified.
Friends of Miles also have been conducting their own searches, Taylor said.
Anyone who has visited the Graves Creek area since Oct. 19 or who has any information regarding Miles’ whereabouts is asked to call 888-653-0009.
