26 August 2023 , 14:53
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The wife of a missing man first realised something was wrong after she noticed his fitness device had stopped moving.
Stephen Bloor, 57, of Santa Ana, California, was hiking through the mountains of the Sierra Nevada when he "slipped on a glacier and fell off the mountain," his brother said. His wife had tried to reach him by phone and through his satellite communication device but couldn't get through.
She also saw his Garmin tracking device had stopped moving and worried out of her mind, she called the Mono County sheriff’s office to report him missing. According to his brother he had spent the last three years hiking parts of the Pacific Coast Trail.
After a frantic search from the Madera and Mono county sheriff’s offices, and helped by a California Highway Patrol helicopter, Stephen's body was found on the evening of Saturday, August 19. It appears he had been traversing a steep boulder field near Iceberg Lake when he fell, succumbing to his injuries.
Because of the danger of weather caused by Tropical Storm Hilary, his body lay in the boulder field for days until it could be recovered on Tuesday, the Madera County sheriff’s office reported. A volunteer from the rescue teams camped with the body throughout this time.
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The missing poster released before his body was found (Mono County Sheriff's Office)
Stephen was an avid hiker (Mono County Sheriff's Office)He had set out on the morning of Friday August 18, from Devils Postpile, near Mammoth Lakes, intending to get to the Lake Tahoe area, about 180 miles away.
He reportedly spoke to other hikers on the John Muir Trail, telling them he planned to spend the first night at Garnet Lake, a 10-mile hike from Devils Postpile. But in his last contact with his wife, at around 6pm, he told her he had left the main trail and was near Iceberg Lake.
According to family friend, Julia Silka: "Search and Rescue camped beside his body until weather was safe for transport (big relief)."
Iceberg Lake, Madera County, California, near where Stephen's body was found (Google Maps)His brother, Christopher, posted on Facebook: "For the last three years, my brother, Stephen, has been section hiking the Pacific Coast Trail. Last Friday, he set off alone, as he always does, to start the 180 mile leg of this section. Part of the PCT was covered in snow and he could not get through. He tried to find another trail, and best we can tell, slipped on a glacier and fell off the mountain."
He added: "Even though it took four days, multiple helicopter trips, till they could bring Stephen out, I am truly touched that he was not alone. One of the SAR volunteers stayed with him the entire time. They camped next to him for those four days, though the tropical storm, and watched over him. I am at a loss for words over the personal sacrifice. My family is enterally grateful."