Hi everyone-
Again, thanks for all of the help, ideas, leads, etc. As all of you can probably guess, this is extremely hard for those of us that know Matt. It's almost impossible to describe every last detail that we know, but I will try to provide the latest update and thinking by those involved in the search efforts.
Matt went missing on July 17th. His last contact with someone was on the evening of the 16th.
Matt's car broke down and he was in Mammoth Lakes staying at the Shady Rest Campground. His car was being fixed in town and was scheduled to be finished on the 18th. Matt was in town, from what we know, on the 16th. He was on a computer (we suspect the library) as indicated by a summit post forum post about water intoxication around 2:45 on the 16th. He talked with his father that day and texted a friend that night (around 9:00PM). He gave no indication to anyone that we know of that day what his plans were. His last cell phone ping came from Mammoth Mt., which would have been the tower from Mammoth Lakes
We suspect that on the 17th, Matt decided to do a day climb/hike as he took no overnight gear with him. He had a large pack and gear for snow, which indicates that he was thinking that snow was a possibility (crampons, Mountaineering axe, and boots). He had no bivy gear and it clearly seems like he had every intention of coming back that same day.
Matt was happy and loved life. He was a quiet guy, but happy to have a conversation with anyone that wanted to talk. He met a lot of people on his trips, so it's likely that he talked to someone that we weren't in contact with yet. As for questions about depression, while valid ones to ask, they do not make sense in this case or for Matt.
Matt had no transportation, so would have used his own two feet, hitched a ride, or more likely taken the shuttle. He was used to riding the shuttle as he did another hike on the 11th to do Clyde Minerat. I understand that he may have done another one in the Minerats as well. He talked about this with a fellow climber on what we believe was the 11th, but gave no indication of definitive plans and the info he was given covers a fairly large area. This person was also participating with SAR.
Matt had pages torn out of his guide book for the entire Minerat area, which covers approximately a 5 mile by 20 mile area, which included both Ritter and Banner (hence the search of the summit registers). Neither register was signed by Matt as reported by search teams. Other speculated that he may have attempted Lyell, but that would have required an early start that the shuttle service wouldn't provide. There are a lot of options in the Minerats, which would have been likely choices for Matt.
SEARCH
SAR was out on both Ritter and Banner last weekend as well as had a chopper that covered some of the snow fields for about 30 minutes. Without more information, they couldn't proceed with further efforts. Additionally, to make things harder, the area that is suggested as a possibility is in another county jurisdiction, which makes organizing the search more challenging for allocating resources.
Right now, SAR has put together some flyers asking for anyone and everyone hiking and climbing in those areas to CHECK the registries. Please do so if you're out there and help spread the word. This will be posted at all major climber hangouts in the region, but please help to spread this via word of mouth. The focus areas is in the Minerats right now since the limited info suggests that more so than any other location. However, there is always the possibility of the wildcard and he jumped the YART and headed into the park.
All permit offices were checked and those with permits from the time frame before and after he was missing are being contacted. Matt was known to get an early start, so it's very possible that he could have been the 1st one on the trail.
Right now, the missing piece to the puzzle is information. We need something, however small, to help hone in on his location or possible plans. If there is anything that you wish you could do, it's spread the word. Some resources are available for this including:
1. Facebook page: facebook.com/findmattgreene
2. Flickr Page with lots of photos: flickr.com/groups/findmattg…
3. Flyer: socalcrisis.org/findmattgreene
4. Mono County Sheriff: monosheriff.org/
5. And tons of news stories (google Matthew Greene, Missing)
I will try to provide any additional info that I get or clarify something that is missing. It is challenging to get everything out, but I and his other friends and family will do our best. Please continue to share. Miss you, Matt.
Tom
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