James Pruitt, 70, of Etowah, Tennessee, disappeared after a day hike in Rocky Mountain National Park on February 28, 2019. He parked at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead and was last seen on security footage at a Safeway in Estes Park. Family contact that morning indicated he intended only a day trip. He was dressed for winter conditions in a dark blue jacket, blue jeans, a reddish-orange beanie-style hat, ski goggles, micro-spikes, and was thought to be carrying a Nikon Coolpix 900 camera.

Park Rangers found Pruitt’s vehicle still in the Glacier Gorge lot on March 3 with no backcountry permit, prompting a large search. Multiple agencies and volunteer teams searched about 15 square miles — Glacier Gorge, Loch Vale and Glacier Creek drainages — working in chest-high snow and using aerial reconnaissance. Over two feet of fresh snow fell after he disappeared, erasing tracks and hampering efforts; active searches continued for more than a week before scaling back. No sign of Pruitt or his belongings has been found.

If anyone hiked those drainages around February 28, 2019, or has information about Pruitt’s movements that day, please come forward.