Missing Yosemite backpacker found dead — may have wandered off trail (original) (raw)

A man who went missing during a solo trek in Yosemite National Park has been found dead.

Tracy Barbutes/Special to the Chronicle

A 61-year-old backpacker from San Luis Obispo who went missing during a solo trek in Yosemite National Park has been found dead, authorities said Saturday.

Kirk S. Thomas Olsen set out to backpack in Yosemite’s Ostrander Lake area from Aug. 23-27 but never returned to his vehicle, according to authorities and his family.

Olsen was declared missing Thursday when a park ranger discovered a note left on his vehicle that indicated he was more than two weeks overdue, according to his niece, Holly Leeson. Authorities announced he was found dead two days later.

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Leeson said authorities were still investigating the nature of Olsen’s death but it seemed he may have wandered off the trail and couldn’t find his way back.

“Take as many precautions you can because even with all the experience in the world, it doesn’t guarantee your safety sometimes,” Leeson advised others who planned to hike alone.

Kirk S. Thomas Olsen, who died during a solo trek in Yosemite National Park, loved being in nature, his niece said.

Yosemite National Park

Olsen previously worked as a park ranger at Hearst San Simeon State Park in San Luis Obispo County and loved being in nature as much as possible, according to his niece.

“He was passionate not only about enjoying nature himself but educating others about the world and their surroundings,” Leeson said. “He really loved to share that kind of information with people.”

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Sep 14, 2024|Updated Sep 14, 2024 3:16 p.m.

Maggie Angst covers homelessness, addiction and mental health for the San Francisco Chronicle's city hall team.

Before joining the Chronicle in late 2023, she reported on California state politics for the Sacramento Bee. Maggie previously wrote for the Mercury News and East Bay Times, where she covered San Jose City Hall, reported from the front lines of California wildfires and exposed systemic deficiencies within an East Bay child welfare agency. She was awarded first place in local government reporting from the California News Publishers Association in 2021.

Maggie was born and raised outside of Chicago and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.