Missing Austin Hiker Found Safe In California National Park

Austin TX

24 May, 2021

1:40 PM

Description

AUSTIN, TX — An Austin native who went missing in the Sierra Nevada last week was found alive over the weekend after surviving sub-freezing weather conditions. Edward Lee Alderman, 33, of Austin was rescued several miles west of California's Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous U.S., on Sunday, according to Sequoia National Park officials in California. Alderman was reported to be alert, despite injuries, fatigue and exposure to subfreezing temperatures, park officials said. Authorities said the Austin man was first reported missing Friday by his hiking partner, who said they separated the day before right as they were approaching Mount Whitney's summit. Officials said helicopters searched the area Saturday; however, the search was encumbered by a late-winter storm that made ground search difficult until Sunday. After the weather cleared, authorities said representatives from the National Park Service and officers from the Inyo County Sheriff's Office continued their search and found Alderman near Timberline Lake. Mount Whitney has proven to be the site of many missing hiker incidents — including some that turned fatal. Another Texas man, 36-year-old Saulo Escalante, was found dead in April after he seemingly slipped and fell from a snowy chute on the mountain, SFGate, an online news outlet in southern California, reports.