He noted further, “Subject appears to have passed this point and continued. Beyond this point, no further sign was found.
The aerial component of the search, a Belljet Ranger helicopter provided by the Wyoming Army National Guard and a smaller fixedwing Cessna 182 from the park’s aviation resource pool conducted 21 flight hours over the search area between August 15th and August 23rd, including two passes with forward-looking infrared equipment on the evenings of August 17th and 19th.
The infrared detected several large heat sources in the forest that proved on investigation to be bison and elk.
It detected nothing consistent with a human subject. The hydrothermal areas were checked as a matter of protocol.
The park’s thermal basins presented a grim possibility in any case involving someone walking alone and off trail, but none of the basin areas along the projected route showed any evidence of a recent incident.
