Woman hiker missing at Point Reyes, second in two weeks

Authorities say that foul play is not suspected in the disappearance Sunday of a Nicasio woman at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Search crews on Monday continued to hunt for Silvia Lange, 77, a docent beloved by hiking enthusiasts and colleagues at Angel Island State Park. She also trained dogs to become helpers with those with disabilities.

Lange has not been seen since Saturday night. On Sunday afternoon, her car was found at the North Beach parking lot at Point Reyes, triggering a search-and-rescue effort that lasted until 11 p.m. and continued all day Monday.

What triggers an alert for many is that Lange's disappearance comes two weeks after search-and-rescue crews could not find 37-year-old Katherine Truitt of Alameda at McClures Beach, also in Point Reyes, eight miles north of the North Beach area. Truitt has not been found.

"We have no evidence of foul play," says Lucas Marciniak of the San Mateo Search and Rescue team, "and no evidence to suggest a link" between the two disappearances, said Don Neubacher, superintendent of the Point Reyes National Seashore.

Point Reyes National Seashore, extending out into the Pacific Ocean on a prominent peninsula north of San Francisco, is a windy, chilly place even in summer, but in winter winds can be ferocious, fog thick, and rain heavy. Winter visitors are hardy and few. Hikers may not see many others in the large and isolated park.

I have hiked many of the trails in the park, and can say from experience that it is easy for hikers to fall from a collapsing bluff, or slip into a rain swept canyon where it may be days--or weeks for isolated trails--until another person comes along and finds them.

But the other possibility should also be considered. Though foul play is not at this time being talked about, the disappearance of two women, both alone, from this park that is lightly used in winter, within two weeks of each other would be a striking coincidence.

Nevertheless, the gray whales are migrating and whale watching is excellent at Point Reyes. Visitors should not be discouraged from these wonderful sights of spouting leviathans, but caution is advised. Don't visit and hike these lonesome trails alone if you can find a companion, both for the unthinkable reason, and for the inherent trail dangers of rain, loose slippery banks, isolation, and other winter hazards of this wonderfully scenic national seaxhore.