The State - News from Nov. 14, 1988

Rescue workers are seeking an 86-year-old man, a veteran climber, who disappeared after telling friends he planned to hike in Yosemite Valley. Donald W. Buchanan of Mariposa was last seen Tuesday night, when he told friends he intended to hike up Half Dome and return by Friday evening, said Lisa Dapprich, of the National Park Service. Forty volunteers from the Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit, the California Youth Authority and other agencies joined the effort, which already included a California Highway Patrol helicopter, eight park service rescue workers, including a tracker with a dog team. Rescue workers said Buchanan is in good physical condition but might be endangered if the temperature dropped to the 30s and 20s, as is predicted when a Pacific storm rolls into the area by today. “He is very experienced and is familiar with Yosemite,” Dapprich said. “He has equipment but is not well equipped for inclement weather.”