SANDPOINT - The search for an Oldtown man who went missing in the Selkirk Mountains east of Priest Lake has been suspended until next year.

A ground search for David W. Uhl was conducted Friday by members of Priest Lake Search & Rescue and officials from the Bonner and Boundary county sheriff's offices, but found no traces of the 56-year-old.

"With 2 feet of snow there was not a lot we could do," Priest Lake Search & Rescue Commander Mike Nielsen said after a day-long effort to find Uhl or evidence which might lead to his whereabouts.

The search party included dog handlers, although Nielsen said weather thwarted the use of aircraft in the search.

Uhl's pickup truck was discovered on the south side of The Wigwams, a 7,033-foot mountain in the Priest Lake State Forest. An Idaho Department of Lands worker noticed the vehicle several weeks ago and began placing notes on the rig advising him that the department planned to close the gate on the forest road but did not want to lock him in, Nielsen said.

Nielsen said the presence of the vehicle did not arouse much concern because it was first spotted on Oct. 8, a couple of days before the elk-hunting season opened - a time when sportsmen are scouting for game and setting up camps.

"It's not uncommon to have a vehicle sitting up there for weeks at a time," Nielsen said.

There were no responses to the notes and the IDL worker notified the Boundary County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, the same day members of his family filed a missing persons report.

Nielsen said the search party did concentric circles around the vehicle, working their way through ravines and along ridge lines with 100- to 200-foot exposures, but found no signs of Uhl.

Nielsen said the search for Uhl is suspended until spring, but could be pushed as far back as July if this winter's forecast for heavy snow holds true.

Family members believe Uhl, an experienced outdoorsman who grew up in the Silver Valley, drove up to the steep and remote area in Boundary County to go on a day hike.

"If he was going to survive he would, because he's very good at that. He's spent his whole life hiking around the mountains," said Eloise Kraemer, one of Uhl's five sisters.

Uhl recently retired and moved to Oldtown. He has three grown children and three grandchildren.

Although time is not on their side, family members remain hopeful for Uhl's safe return.

"I know at this point we're not terribly hopeful, but you never know. There are miracles all the time," said Kraemer.