The family of a hiker missing in Manning Park is devastated that official search efforts were suspended Saturday, Oct. 17.
However, they are also grateful for the exhaustive efforts from first responders who tried to locate the 25-year-old Vancouver man.
Jordan Naterer was last seen Saturday, Oct. 10, after telling friends he was going on an overnight hike.
“It seems like they’ve looked everywhere they could,” said Julia Naterer, Jordan’s sister.
“We’ve hit a wall at this point…It’s just so difficult.”
Julia clings to the belief her brother is still trying to make it home.
“If he’s safe now, a few days from now what if he drops something and there is no one to see it?”
Related: ‘Please pray for our son,’ says mother of missing hiker
Paul Fyfe, manager of Princeton Ground Search And Rescue (GSAR), expressed frustration and regret that the five-day search of the Frosty Mountain area revealed no clues.
“No search and rescue person likes to not find or resolve what they were called out for.”
Fyfe was part of the management team coordinating the search.
“In all the hours and miles of hiking…we couldn’t find something that we could say belonged to Jordan or was caused by Jordan.”
The search was hampered by lack of information and bad weather.
“The biggest thing was not knowing 100 per cent where Jordan had went.”
Jordan was reported missing by friends, after he failed to turn up for a Thanksgiving dinner Monday, Oct. 12.
His car was then located at the Frosty Mountain trailhead, by the Lightning Lake day-use area of Manning Park.
Related: Search for missing Vancouver hiker in Manning Park intensifies
According to Fyfe, Vancouver police combed Jordan’s laptop and discovered he had recently looked up the Frosty Mountain trail loop. A credit card receipt proved a purchase at a nearby Highway 3 gas station
More than 150 GSAR volunteers took to the ground. Police canine units hunted, and helicopters were brought in by RCMP and search and rescue.
Those crews employed infrared technology, which can detect body heat. They also used RECCO, which relies on radio waves.
After initial media reports, one witness came forward stating he saw Jordan about 40 minutes into the Frosty Mountain trail on Saturday, Oct. 10.
Still, the search was not limited to one area.
Fyfe said every trail within a walkable distance of the Lightning Lake parking lot was thoroughly hiked.
Freezing temperatures and two snowstorms impeded searchers.
A Saturday night snowfall might have covered any traces of activity, and searches being dropped by helicopter to the top of Frosty Mountain landed in three feet of snow.
One GSAR member sustained an injury after a fall in a treacherous area, said Fyfe.
Jordan’s parents, who live in St. John’s, Nfld., flew to B.C. to become an active part of the search. Approximately 50 of Jordan’s friends also got involved, either through on-the-ground assistance or using the internet to research the area.
Jordan is an electrical engineer, described by many as being extremely intelligent. He recently completed his graduate studies at UBC and works for an online security firm.
Madelaine Gierc is a close friend. “He’s an absolutely decent guy: kind, smart, welcoming, giving, fully of energy, and really funny,” she told the Spotlight.
Fyfe said the search will be re-activated if any new information is brought forward.
“It was an extremely difficult meeting with the parents when we had to tell them,” he said.
Related: Sister of missing hiker in Manning Park confident he will be found safe
