Still no sign of missing snowmachiner

TALKEETNA — Despite two full days of searching, a Wasilla snowmachiner is still missing on Bald Mountain.

According to Alaska State Troopers, Charles Palmer V, 30, was reported missing at 7:15 a.m. Sunday. At the time he was 12 hours overdue from a snowmachine trek.

Palmer was apparently part of a group of five snowmachiners who parked their cars on Mastadon Road at a spot five miles from a cabin they were staying in near Sheep Creek.

Troopers say that as the group started to head back to the cabin at about 7:15 p.m. Saturday. Palmer was seen heading in the wrong direction. As of press time, it was the last time anyone had reported seeing Palmer, as far as troopers know.

Troopers, along with members of the Willow and Talkeetna fire departments, launched a search Sunday morning. Poor weather kept aircraft grounded.

By 8 p.m., searchers hadn’t found Palmer, but had found his snowmachine.

The machine was 12 miles from the cabin. It still had fuel but had apparently become stuck in the snow.

The search was eventually called off, but resumed Monday morning. Trooper spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said that as of about 10:15 a.m. there were eight snowmachiners hitting the trails to search and the weather had cleared enough that a helicopter was able to launch, as well as a fixed-wing trooper airplane.

But the weather didn’t stay good for long. At around 1:30 p.m. troopers had to land the plane and the helicopter.

Witnesses told troopers that Palmer is not carrying survival gear, nor does he have a GPS, food or water. He is reportedly dressed for the weather, which, in the area, seems to be hovering around freezing with occasional snowfalls.

Ipsen said terrain in the area is rough. The search area is on the edge of the treeline and there are sloping and rolling hills as well as a few impassible ravines. Wet snow is hampering search efforts.

“Some of the area we’re trying to search is impassable to snowmachines and ATVs,” she said.

By 4 p.m. Monday, as the weather turned nasty in the area, searchers decided it wasn’t safe to continue looking.

“There’s a winter-weather advisory. They’re expecting anywhere from four to 10 inches (of snow) tonight,” Ipsen said. “The search has been suspended for the day. They’re going to regroup at the Talkeetna Post, to go over which area to cover tomorrow (Tuesday).”

She said the search will begin again this morning if the weather cooperates.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.