California's Yosemite National Park has said that hiker Hayden Klemenok is missing and has launched an appeal on social media.
The national park said Klemenok, 24, was backpacking with a group at Upper Chilnualna Falls on July 2, 2023.
"At approximately 2 p.m., he entered Chilnualna Creek near the trail junction, and his whereabouts are currently unknown," the national park wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday alongside pictures of the hiker.
Klemenok was on an annual hiking trip with college friends when he was swept away by swift waters, according to a 7 San Diego report.
Witnesses to his disappearance said that Klemenok got down on all fours by the rushing water to get his head wet or drink before he was swept away, the report said.
The national park has appealed for anyone who may have seen Klemenok to come forward and contact them.
The national park requested people who were hiking off-trail in the area of Upper Chilnualna Falls on or after July 2 to come forward, regardless of whether Klemenok was seen.
"Simply knowing where you went and when you were there may help us focus the search, whether you saw anyone or not," the post said.
Hayden was described as wearing a tan, brimmed hat, white sunglasses, a red t-shirt, blue swimming trunks, and white Adidas shoes.
Anyone with information is urged to email YOSE_Desk_Officer@nps.gov or call Yosemite National Park Dispatch at 209-379-1992
Newsweek has contacted Yosemite National Park and the Mariposa County Sheriff's Department via email for comment.
Last week, the remains of British actor Julian Sands were confirmed to have been found after he went missing while hiking in the Southern California wilderness, according to a report in The Guardian.
While speaking to Newsweek about Sand's disappearance, Karen Shalev-Greene, the director of the Centre for the Study of Missing Persons, at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, highlighted the difficulties of finding someone in the wilderness.
"Weather conditions may impact search activities for a number of reasons, including the terrain being susceptible to sudden flooding, loss of scent and footprint to assist in tracking, strong winds which may lead to the risk of rescuers losing balance, and many other issues," she told Newsweek.
"If the weather is bad they can't use drones or helicopters, for example, which means they can't cover as much ground as quickly."
Shalev-Greene said that ninety-nine percent of people are found alive within the first 28 days of them going missing.
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Gerrard Kaonga is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter and is based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on U.S. ... Read more
