Walther H. Reinhard, a 66-year-old retired U.S. Marine and experienced hiker from Oro Valley, Arizona, was last seen in Yosemite National Park on September 19, 2002. He was on a solo trip and is believed to have started a day hike from the White Wolf trailhead; a park employee may have seen a man matching his description that morning wearing a gray alpine hat and asking for directions to a lake a few miles up the trail. His credit card was used that day at a gas station about 15 miles from where his car was later located.

Rangers found Reinhard’s vehicle at the White Wolf trailhead on September 30, 2002, and mounted an extensive search of roughly 40 square miles with helicopters, dog teams, and ground crews. Severe weather—rain, hail, and snow—arrived during the operation and likely erased tracks and hampered survival. His Swiss army knife was left in the car; he was described as 5 feet 8 inches, 145 pounds, with blue eyes and graying brown hair, wearing leather hiking boots and carrying a large fanny pack. Park officials said they did not suspect foul play.

No trace of Reinhard or his belongings was ever found. Does anyone who hiked the White Wolf area around September 19, 2002, remember seeing him or recall unusual conditions on the trail that week?