A hiker has been missing in Yosemite national park since the holiday weekend after being swept away by a cold and fast-flowing creek as California’s epic winter snowpack melts.
Hayden T Klemenok vanished while backpacking with a group at Upper Chilnualna Falls on Sunday, the National Park Service said in a statement.
“At approximately 2pm, he entered Chilnualna Creek near the trail junction, and his whereabouts are currently unknown,” the service said.
The section of creek is about a dozen miles (20km) south of Yosemite Valley and features a series of waterfalls and cascades that plunge hundreds of feet.
Klemenok’s parents told the San Francisco Chronicle that his friends said the day of the accident was hot and the 24-year-old from Petaluma, California, had got down on all fours to wet his face, but he slipped and went into the water.
“It’s the worst experience any parent or family should go through,” said Michelle Klemenok.
Park officials have scaled back their ground search, the parents told the Chronicle, citing the dangerous water conditions.
California authorities have been warning the public that rivers, streams and lakes are extremely dangerous this year after an unusually wet winter. River levels usually begin dropping, and water temperatures rising, by the start of summer – but this year is different, officials say. California saw one of the largest snowpacks on record, and the buildup is continuing to fill waterways with freezing flows. A heatwave last weekend hastened the melt, releasing a rush of frigid water.
Ahead of the holiday weekend, the National Weather Service warned: “River water temperatures are deadly cold. Think twice before you jump into local rivers without a life jacket. It may be the last decision you ever make.”
Several people have died in California’s rivers this year, including a four-year-old boy and his eight-year-old sister, who were swept away by a current on the Kings River. A 15-year-old died in the Sacramento River last month.
English (US)