Climbing
A Virginia man believed missing on California’s Mount Whitney is an accomplished hiker and marathon runner who has been determined to summit the peak since a failed attempt last year, his family said Tuesday.
Search and rescue teams combed the state’s tallest peak on Tuesday for a third day to look for Ling Dao, who was reported missing June 14 after he didn’t show up to work. Snowy, icy conditions were complicating the search in an area that spanned about 30 square miles of high-mountain terrain, said Carma Roper, a spokeswoman for the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office, which is leading the search.
Dao, 41, planned to climb Mount Whitney on June 12, then catch a flight back to Virginia the next day, Roper said. When he didn’t show up for work, colleagues notified the sheriff’s office.
Family members said Dao was in excellent physical condition, reports ABC.
“He is an experienced hiker and very athletic. Fitness is his life. He runs marathons pretty much every week,” said a sister, Chelly Dao, 25.
Ling had a one-day permit to climb Mount Whitney and it’s been confirmed that he checked in on June 12. The sheriff’s office says it has received several reports of hikers who saw or spoke with Dao both at the summit and during his ascent.
Dao is 6’1″ and weighs 160 pounds. He is believed to be carrying a Black Diamond ice ax and brightly colored windbreaker and/or jacket, authorities said. Anyone who had contact with Dao after June 12 or who may have seen him hiking along the Mount Whitney trail is asked to contact the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office at 760-878-0383, option 4.
