Mt. Verstovia is a prominent part of Sitka’s backdrop, an attractive hiking destination, and sometimes dangerous. (Flickr photo/David Baron)
The body of a missing hiker was found by searchers in Sitka on Friday afternoon (09-23-16).
Michael Hansen was 37-years-old. The avid outdoorsman was reported missing on Monday (09-19-16), after he did not return from a solo hiking trip up Mt. Verstovia.
Throughout the week, Sitka Search and Rescue received assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Forest Service, the Alaska State Troopers, the Sitka Police and Fire Departments, and a number of volunteers who combed the mountain for Hansen and provided support to his parents, who arrived in Sitka on Wednesday (09-21-16).
At 4:20 p.m. on Friday (09-23-16), a team of volunteers found Hansen at the 1160 feet level. His body will be transported to the medical examiner in Anchorage to determine cause of death.
Search and Rescue Captain Lance Ewers believes Hansen slipped while hiking off-trail on his way down Mt. Verstovia. “Instead of staying on the trail, he just decided to go straight down the mountain. It appeared like he fell and slid down… it could have been 100 feet. 75 to 100 feet or so. So it was a sad deal,” Ewer said.
Ewers said the old growth forest Hansen was likely cutting through is deceptively steep and that it’s easy to lose your footing. He advises all those hiking and hunting in Sitka to take extra precautions when going off trail. “Watch your footing, especially in that steep terrain. And if you gotta go back up hill, because it’s starting to get questionable, then sometimes you have to bite the bullet and turn around and go back uphill. And that’s easier said than done for anyone who has been in a situation like that,” Ewers said.
Ewers praised the Search and Rescue Team – which includes a technical ropes unit and K9 unit that employed dogs from Juneau — for working long hours, in inclement weather, and in steep terrain last week.
Technology also played a role in locating Hansen. Every team carried a Global Positioning System unit while searching, and then combined their data back at the firehall to map which portions of the mountain had been covered. Other technological breakthroughs were more simple, but no less significant. Ewers says that local locksmith Jerry Deppa managed to unlock Hansen’s car, which was left at the trailhead.
“[Deppa] spent hours on Michael’s car and through his training and experience was able to make a key on Michael’s car so his mom and dad had transportation while they were here. And they did that for free. I’m telling you, the people in Sitka are so great.
Hansen was born and raised in Wisconsin. The former Army ranger moved from Anchorage to Sitka in July of this year. He was a residential counselor at Sitka Counseling and Prevention Services, providing both individual and group counseling.
Maria Garcia, his supervisor and friend, said Hansen was deeply committed to his job and supporting his clients, accompanying them on trips to the local raptor center, to yoga, and art therapy. Over the phone with KCAW, she described Hansen as “shy at first with a great sense of humor.” And that, “He was a very beautiful human.”
