Conditions in Desolation Wilderness the day before the hiker went missing. Photo: Evan Quarnstrom
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has suspended its search for a hiker who went missing in Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe, California. The effort, which included more than 200 personnel from 30 agencies and a chinook helicopter provided by the National Guard, failed to find any signs of the 60-year-old hiker after two weeks.
Jason Coughran went missing on May 25 near Angora Peak in the mountains southwest of Lake Tahoe. He began his hike at the Fallen Leaf Lake trailhead and was last heard from around 4 p.m. Friends described him as an avid hiker who often hiked alone.
Despite all the personnel dispatched to find him, no evidence was found of Coughran’s whereabouts. The sheriff’s office says the case is now a missing person investigation.
“As leads develop in the case, additional search efforts will be conducted,” Kyle Parker, spokesperson for the sheriff’s department, told SF Gate. “The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to locating Mr. Coughran.”
Desolation Wilderness is a popular backcountry recreational area in the Sierra Nevada range of California. The 63,960-acre area features alpine forests, glacier-carved valleys, and granite peaks reaching nearly 10,000 feet. It’s a managed backpacking zone that requires permits, which dictate where you can camp.
