Missing Kayaker/Hiker

I saw a flier at the Horsetail Falls trailhead when I came out this evening. Was surprised by the date, 6 weeks missing. Any idea where the "cabin" he left is actually located? Pollock Pines is very vague but also only 10 minutes from home for me.

"Yes. We now have two possible sightings within 20 miles of each other. The problem is these happened weeks ago. They were on the PCT at the Sonora Pass, and the other was about 20 miles (as the bird flies) to the north at Seavy Pass. Both sightings appear to be within a few days of each other. Our Son has a long stride when he's moving on good ground (about 6 mph). So we don't expect to find him where he was last seen. But we do hope to get an idea of how he's doing, where he is, and where he is going. I also have postings on backpacker.com. A friend of the family also has a posting on Riddit. So the word is getting out.

Thank you very much for you efforts. I spent over 30 years of my life giving to others in their time of need. I can't begin to express how impressive the stranger's actions can be on this side to a person like me.

Sincerely,

Vern Matthews
Father"

Roman Dial's son, also named Cody, is ?missing in Costa Rica.

http://www.adn.com/article/20140724/son-alaska-adventurer-roman-dial-missing-costa-rica

http://www.adn.com/article/20140728/cody-dial-reportedly-seen-costa-rica-hostel-week-ago

http://www.ticotimes.net/categories/missing-hiker

Very sad to read these reports and hope the potential sightings of him are true.

Feel like I know the guy pretty well after seeing him grow up from the kid in the packrafting book, through to the strong adventurer in the background of so many epic blog photos from Forrest, luc, Roman, etc…

Is anybody following this closer (Facebook maybe?) and can share the latest developments?

Their FB pages are not open to all. Roman Sr.'s blog last post is before incident.

http://packrafting.blogspot.com/

I didn't find any recent info on The Roaming Dials blog but then i looked again at the sources listed in the earlier post by John. The real story is confusing and plays out in the Facebook comments below each of the Alaska dispatch stories:

The first story (7/24) concludes with a Facebook post speculating a known drug offender in the region was just found with american $ potentially from a robbery/attack

The second ADN story three days later offers hope detailing a sighting of Roman Jr. at a hostel and Roman Sr. is in country looking for him. Then the Facebook comments from Peggy Dial reveal she refutes and is very upset with the reporting. Much drama follows in the next 30 posts/comments and its confusing what is currently going on but the bottom-line seems to be that he is still missing.

If he went into Corcovado without a guide or local experience, away from the main trails, in rainy season, there are many ways to get into serious trouble. The few trails turn to mud or marsh in the rainy season and are difficult to follow. If you get lost, even with a GPS, the terrain is nearly impossible. You can't see more than a few yards through the undergrowth, and in wet season trying to navigate overland back to civilization by dead reckoning you'd be lucky to cover a few hundred yards per hour.

There's also some nasty wildlife. If he's in a kayak, bull sharks in the major waterways. The local guides are most concerned with aggressive snakes – Bothrops asper, Lachesis. But humans may be a bigger danger in some remote areas. The area was saved from ecological disaster when gold mining started to take off. Land was confiscated from locals. It's quite safe if you go as a regular tourist wildlife watcher in the well-traveled areas (I went twice last winter, the second time without a guide), but there's still some degree of tension & resentment and criminal activity. It's difficult for the park authorities to police the whole Park, as access to the remote areas is so difficult. There are still some areas where travel is so difficult that no humans have explored there, and there may be undiscovered biodiversity.

It's a spectacular and beautiful place, with a greater density of wildlife than I've ever seen anywhere in the world, but truly wild.

And to add, if (as is rumoured) he flouted Park regs by going alone into a restricted area, that shows a pretty serious degree of recklessness and disrespect – not just for his own safety and the safety of rangers who have to find him, but for important biodiversity conservation efforts. I hope he didn't pay for this foolishness with his life.

nm

Update

Yikes!

I've been to Corcovado. it's an awesome place, in the traditional sense of the word. A true Wilderness unlike any I've ever seen before….I can't even begin to imagine how one would search for anyone there.

1. Costa Rican gov't and Red Cross suspend search for US hiker believed missing in Corcovado Nat'l Park

2. Representatives from the U.S. Embassy are now in Puerto Jiménez, near the park’s eastern entrance, to take over the search, accompanied by Dial’s father, Roman Dial, a National Geographic explorer and well-known adventure sportsman.

http://www.ticotimes.net/2014/08/06/costa-rican-govt-and-red-cross-suspend-search-for-us-hiker-believed-missing-in-corcovado-natl-park

Very sad news.

Still, I hope he pops out in a totally unexpected location with a story that would make Hemingway proud.

Roman Sr. fears foul play.

http://www.adn.com/article/20140906/father-alaskan-missing-costa-rica-fears-foul-play

Roman Sr is asking for donations to help him keep searching for Roman Jr. Very sad story, Roman Jr is a good friend of my brother's and I have gone backpacking with him.

http://www.gofundme.com/ebhedc

Thanks for the link Jake. Last update 12 days ago. This would make me crazy if I were a parent.