More resources brought to find missing snowmachiner

TALKEETNA — Alaska State Troopers are conducting a third day of searching for a lost snowmachiner near Bald Mountain.

Charles Palmer V, 30, was last seen at around 7:15 p.m. Saturday as a group of snowmachiners he was riding with started back to the cabin they were staying in near Sheep Creek. A member of the group reported seeing Palmer heading the wrong direction.

So far, that’s the last anyone has seen him, though troopers did recover his snowmachine Sunday, stuck in the snow, 12 miles from the cabin.

Troopers, civilians and local fire department volunteers have been canvassing the area on snowmachines. Troopers sent out a helicopter and a fixed-wing airplane whenever weather allowed.

Today, trooper spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said the search now includes the Valley’s search and rescue group MAT-SAR and a couple of search dog teams. She said troopers plan to bring out the aircraft again. Weather has been hampering search efforts both in the air and on the ground, where wet snow has been tough to traverse.

“It’s windy but they’re going to get out there today,” Ipsen said.

She said troopers have talked to other search groups but haven’t yet summoned their help, preferring, for now, to keep them in reserve.

“We don’t want to have so many searchers out there where we end up crisscrossing tracks and getting confused,” Ipsen said.