BRIDGEPORT, Calif. — Authorities in California continue to search for missing First Lt. Matthew Kraft. The Marine was reported missing by his father after he failed to return from a backcountry skiing trip through the Sierra Nevada.
Lt. Kraft’s itinerary was the Sierra High Route, which included hiking out of Kearsarge Pass on Feb 24 and hiking out near the Twin Lakes area by Bridgeport, a town northeast of Yosemite National Park, on March 4 or 5, 1st Marine Capt. Paul Gainey said.
Kraft is an infantry officer who received survival training in the field.
"He has the skills to survive in austere environments and we're hoping for the best here," Gainey said.
Anyone with information regarding Kraft’s whereabouts should immediately contact one of the following:
- Inyo County Sheriff’s Office at (760) 878-0383, option 4
- Mono County Sheriff’s Office at (760) 932-7549, option 7
- Fresno County Sheriff’s Office at (559) 600-8400
TIMELINE
- Itinerary - Lt. Kraft’s itinerary was the Sierra High Route, which included hiking out of Kearsarge Pass on Feb 24h and hiking out near the Twin Lakes area by Bridgeport on March 4 or 5.
- March 4: Reported missing - On March 4 Lt. Kraft’s father contacted Mono Sheriff after not hearing from his son. Mono County Sheriff’s Office began checking trailheads in the Bridgeport area on March 4.
- March 5: The search begins - Inyo County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue began a search on March 5. Winter storms in the Sierra have made search activities extremely difficult.
- March 8: Jeep found - Lt. Kraft’s Jeep was found by Inyo Search and Rescue at 9:00 p.m. on March 8 near Lower Grays Meadows — above Independence, Calif.
- March 9: Sixth day searching - On Saturday seven Inyo Search and Rescue volunteers searched the upper sections of Onion Valley Road west of Independence, Calif. for Lt. Kraft.
The team reached about 8,000 feet, about two miles from the Kearsarge trailhead, and saw that recent avalanche debris was covering the road, Inyo County Sheriff's spokeswoman Carma Roper said. Due to avalanche concerns, the team decided that it would be too risky to proceed.
Aerial search crews noted several significant avalanches throughout the Sierra backcountry and along the Sierra High Route that Lt. Kraft would have been on during his trek.
March 10: Search now air-based: The search will be primarily air-based as crews work to find First Lt. Matthew Kraft. Due to snow instability and avalanche concerns, the ground search has proven to be too dangerous, the Inyo County Sheriff's Office said. In addition to aerial support that has been helping through the week, Sequoia and Kings National Park will also provide a helicopter.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have established a website to check for updates.
