By Quinn BenderHaida Gwaii ObserverA large, coordinated search is ongoing for a Kumdis Island resident missing since the weekend. Brent Hendren is a 27-year old caucasian male, almost six-feet tall with dark, medium-length hair and a thick beard. He was last seen in Masset around 9 p.m. last Saturday, April 18, when a friend dropped him off near North Beach where it is believed he wanted to give flowers to his landlord. Mr. Hendren is an avid outdoorsman known by friends to sometimes push himself beyond his experience level. He moved to Haida Gwaii from Ontario last November to learn how to forage for food and live off the land while living in a cabin on Kumdis Island. Masset RCMP have confirmed a backpack belonging to Mr. Hendren was located Wednesday afternoon near Sewall. Earlier a boat Mr. Hendren had been borrowing from an islander on a regular basis was found abandoned in Masset Inlet with no oars or outboard motor.The Canadian Forces’ Joint Rescue Coordination Centre has been leading the search for Mr. Hendren since Tuesday afternoon, deploying a helicopter out of CFB Comox, an RCMP aircraft and a Coast Guard vessel to assist ground-search crews led by the RCMP and a Masset-based marine search and rescue team. A friend of Mr. Hendren, Christy “Conch” Konshuh, told the Observer Mr. Hendren has a history of depression and fears he may have used poor judgement to land himself in a potentially life-threatening situation. “I have also observed a lot of conflicts in his social world, so I have concerns about his mental health Â… he seeks solace in being in the wild and being by himself.”He’s young, he’s 27, he’s learning and he thinks he’s invincible.”However, Mr. Hendren had no known plans for any long-term excursions from the time he was last seen. Ms. Konshuh would be unusual for him not to report any mishaps with the boat to its owner, and to be out of contact with friends for this long.
