Hiker's planned route covered 90 miles in Glacier

The search continued Friday in Glacier National Park with no sign by late afternoon of a missing hiker from Kentucky.

Yi-Jien Hwa, 27, embarked on an arduous solo trek Aug. 11 and did not show up at Kintla Lake as planned on Aug. 18. A search got under way Wednesday and has been intensified since then.

About 25 searchers, plus two search dog teams, were looking for Hwa on Friday. A break in the weather allowed for a helicopter to join the search in the afternoon, according to Norma Sosa, Glacier information officer.

"They are making the most they can of the daylight … and tomorrow they'll go out again," Sosa said Friday.

The search area could be enormous.

In applying for a backcountry permit, Hwa left the park an itinerary with plans to start at the Sperry trailhead Aug. 11, crossing Gunsight Pass to camp at Sperry Campground; then to Reynolds Creek Campground Aug. 12; taking the Highline Trail to Granite Park Aug. 13; hiking north to Fifty Mountain campground Aug. 14; reaching Kootenai Lake Campground Aug. 15; then Hole-in-the-Wall on Aug. 16; camping at Upper Kintla Lake Aug. 17; and ending the hike Aug. 18 at Kintla Lake.

"You can see how strenuous this was," Sosa said. "If you count all those trails it's over 90 miles. The elevation gain would be over 15,000 feet and going downhill would be more than 14,000 feet."

The search has been carried out strategically, concentrating on areas such as the rugged, cliff terrain in the Floral Park and Sperry Glacier areas.

Jordan White, Flathead County Search and Rescue coordinator, said he and a team of climbers will join the search today with a technical climbing effort in the Sperry area.

"We're going in for a minimum of two days, possibly three," White said.

The focus of the search, Sosa said, "is going to be shifting. They are going to make sure they cover all of the ground."

Hwa apparently was an experienced hiker, but it's unclear if his experience included any trips in Glacier.

Hwa recently contributed reviews to an online backpacking gear site with some biographical information.

"I'm a busy seminary student, but whenever we can, my wife and I hike in Kentucky's Red River Gorge. Thus far, we've hiked Isle Royale, Hawaii's Big Island, the Smokey Mountains and are planning several trips this summer," it says. "Then in August and September my wife and I will be backpacking in the Theodore Roosevelt, Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks."

Tina Puge, a spokeswoman at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., told The Associated Press that Hwa is a master's student at Asbury and lives in Lexington, Ky.

Sosa said Hwa may have had plans to hike with his wife in Glacier, but he ended up embarking on the trip alone.

"We know that he has not been hiking with his wife because we have been in touch with her," Sosa said. "His permit indicates that he was going to be hiking solo."

Hwa is 6-feet 1-inch tall, weighing 170 pounds. He is believed to be carrying a blue Kelty backpack, trekking poles and other equipment.

Park officials are asking anyone who may have information on Hwa to call the park at 888-7801.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com