Matthew Kraft has been missing since at least March 4, when his father notified authorities. Photo: Marine Corp
On February 23, Marine, 1st Lt. Matthew Kraft set out to ski a classic backcountry route in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and not a trace of him has been seen since. The Sierra High Route is a 195-mile skin that takes some 10 days to complete.
Kraft, a Connecticut native, was attempting the route from Kearsarge Pass near Independence in the Eastern Sierra to Bridgeport, hoping to finish around March 4 or 5. The hallowed Sierra backcountry trip often compared to Europe’s Haute route, traverses the mountain range as skiers and riders travel above elevations of 11,000 feet. Kraft had told his parents and notified the military of his plans. Apparently, a vehicle he’d rented was found near Grays Meadows campground above Independence, California on March 8. His father notified the Mono County Sheriff’s Office March 4 when he didn’t hear from his son.
An inter-agency search has been ongoing since, with local sheriffs departments and search and rescue on the ground as well as air support from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and the Marine Corps. The National Guard has reportedly been flying the route on a daily basis with thermal imagery but has found nothing but animal dens during the search.
After nearly two weeks, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, Inyo County Sheriffs and the U.S. Marines sent out a joint release announcing the search would be scaled back. “Beginning today the search operation will transition into a limited continuous search status until Kraft is found,” it read. The search area is large, comprising a radius the size of “Rhode Island.” There are a lot of exit points from the route for authorities to cover as well.
Weather in California during the entire month of February was historic as many parts of the Tahoe region reported snowstorms 24 out of 28 days during the month. June Mountain, near Mammoth, reported nearly 11 feet in a four-day period.
A military release said that Kraft was an experienced hiker and graduated from the Infantry Officer Course and a Winter Mountain Leaders Course. No other information about his skiing background was immediately available. Kraft’s last known phone correspondence was near Independence, California. Following the hefty month of precipitation in the high country, avalanche activity was reported on exposed terrain.
