Washington State

Hiker who disappeared 10 days ago in Washington national park feared dead, family says

Laura Macke is presumed dead after she vanished on a solo hiking trip in Olympic National Park on Nov. 1, her family says.
Laura Macke is presumed dead after she vanished on a solo hiking trip in Olympic National Park on Nov. 1, her family says. Screengrab from Timothy Gaskell's Facebook post.

A hiker who has been missing for more than a week is not expected to have survived, according to her family.

Laura Macke, 35, left Sunday, Oct. 30, for a solo hiking trip in Olympic National Park in Washington, officials said. She was reported missing early Wednesday, Nov. 2, when she did not return.

Ongoing search efforts have been unsuccessful, and search and rescue officials have determined that Macke’s survivability is unlikely, her sister wrote in a Nov. 10 Facebook post. Limited continuous searches for Macke will continue when technology and weather conditions allow.

“The family would like to thank Olympic National Park, the many Search and Rescue personnel and you for your support in this difficult time,” her sister wrote.

Macke had a backcountry permit for Oct. 30-31, and she planned to stop to camp at Pyrites Creek while hiking to the Enchanted Valley, officials said. She indicated that she would be in the backcountry until Nov. 1 but never returned. Early search efforts were impeded by bad weather.

Friends and family shared their condolences for Macke on Facebook following her sister’s post.

“My heart is broken,” one user commented.

“There are no words to describe how sad this is,” another wrote.

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This story was originally published November 10, 2022 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Hiker who disappeared 10 days ago in Washington national park feared dead, family says."

Moira Ritter
mcclatchy-newsroom
Moira Ritter covers real-time news for McClatchy. She is a graduate of Georgetown University where she studied government, journalism and German. Previously, she reported for CNN Business.
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