Rescuers were searching Mount Whitney on Saturday for a Texas man who went missing this week while trying to summit the challenging mountain in cold, snowy conditions.
Taylor Rodriguez, 29, of San Antonio set out alone Monday despite icy and slick trails, scary weather forecasts and friends who said the experience was limited to Indoor climbing gym.
The search continues on Mount Whitney for missing hiker Taylor Rodriguez, who is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing about 160 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He is believed to have been trying to summit Mount Whitney on Monday when he disappeared.
(Inyo County Search and Rescue)
“A lot of us don’t understand what could have led him to drive to the Whitney and do it on a whim,” said family friend Susana Guerra, a veteran hiker who has climbed the mountain many times. “He’s a very smart kid, very smart and it’s hard to understand what he’s thinking.”
Rodriguez’s family and friends contacted the sheriff Thursday because they had not heard from him. Authorities found the truck he had driven from Texas in a parking lot near the trailhead.
A team of volunteers from Eyo County Search and Rescue are searching for Rodriguez on Mount Whitney’s main trail and plan to search a more difficult route, known as the Mountaineer’s Route. Sheriff’s spokesperson Lindsay Stine said crews hope to use a helicopter to conduct the search depending on wind conditions.
In the five days since Rodriguez disappeared, nighttime temperatures have dropped into the teens, and wind gusts exceeded 50 mph on Friday.
“At this point, they’re still looking for him as if he’s still alive,” Sting said. “Some people who go missing sometimes live for days.”
Mount Whitney is the highest point in the United States outside of Alaska, with an elevation of 14,405 feet. In the warmer months, hikers sometimes make the 20-mile round trip wearing fleece jackets and hiking boots. The license is extremely popular between May and November, with approximately 100,000 people participating in the license lottery each year.
In the winter, things can be completely different. Waist-deep snow, ice sheets, avalanches and the risk of hypothermia and frostbite make the mountain even more dangerous. Dave Miller, a professional mountain guide who has summited Mount Whitney 80 times, said those who actually climb are usually veterans equipped with crampons, ice axes, helmets, ropes and a good understanding of the climb. Have a thorough understanding of the route.
“Trying to do this on a winter day would be left to more experienced people who might use skis so they can get down the mountain faster,” Miller said.
Rodriguez with his dog Dutch in 2015.
(played by Melanie Jaramillo)
Rodriguez, who has training in petroleum engineering and construction and no field experience, only began rock climbing at an indoor gym in recent months, according to people who know him.
“He was really good at hunting. His family lived on a cattle ranch. So outdoors, yes, but climbing…no,” said Melanie Rodriguez, who dated Rodriguez in high school and stayed in touch. Melanie Jaramillo said.
It is believed that he set out at 1am that day, planning to reach the summit and return that day. It’s unclear whether he carried crampons or other equipment to walk on the icy trail, or how much research he did on the route and conditions.
Guerra, Jaramillo’s sister who has summited Mount Whitney eight times, said she had to be rescued last spring even though she knew the terrain. She said it was difficult to imagine Rodriguez in the snow and darkness.
“He couldn’t have gone very far,” she said.
Jaramillo said his high school friends, who knew him as a star football player and a student at Southwest High School, were shocked and saddened.
“This is a guy who’s not stupid,” she said.
Rodriguez is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs approximately 160 pounds. The Sheriff’s Department is asking hikers who encounter him on the trails Monday through Thursday or who have other information that may help find him to call (760) 878-0383.
