Ground Crews Pulled Off Search For Missing Backpacker In Kings Canyon National Park

Ground crews, having searched extensively for a missing backpacker in the high country of Kings Canyon National Park, have been pulled from the effort, though aerial searching will continue for the time being, according to park officials.

Larry Conn, a 53-year-old Pacific Palisades, California, resident, failed to return from a weekend trek last Monday as expected. He was reported overdue Tuesday, and the active search got under way on October 24.

Mr. Conn's intended route was to go over Taboose Pass towards the John Muir Trail in Kings Canyon. His route might also have included Split Mountain and Pinchot Pass, park officials said. The search area is between 10,000 and 12,000 feet in elevation, an area where upwards of 18 inches of snow has accumulated on the ground and overnight lows have tipped into the 20s.

During the past week of searching not a single clue as to Mr. Conn's whereabouts has been found, according to the park.