MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, wash. — Rescuers on Mount Rainier suspended their search Saturday for well-known outdoors writer Karen Sykes, 70, who hasn’t been seen since she separated from her hiking partner Wednesday.
The National Park Service didn’t give an explanation and said it would release more information as it could.
Earlier in the day, six ground crews, including two dog teams, were combing an expanded search area near the Owyhigh Lakes Trail on Rainier’s east side, the service said. Rescuers also searched by air.
Sykes was reportedly working on a story when she and her partner encountered snow at about 5,000 feet. The partner stayed as Sykes went on, with the idea that they’d reconvene, but Sykes never turned up. The partner made it back to the trailhead and reported her missing.
Sykes is well-known in the Northwest hiking community and has written numerous hiking stories for online publications, newspapers and a book.
“She is the guru of trails,” friend Lola Kemp said in an e-mail, adding that Sykes hiked at least twice a week and has a background in climbing and scrambling. The Associated Press
