By Pepper Fisher
QUINAULT, Wash — The search continues in Olympic National Park for 78-year-old Duane Miles from the town of Beaver, Washington who was reported missing after going on a day hike.
Miles told friends he was planning to hike off-trail south of the Graves Creek Campground on October 20 and exit near the Graves Creek corral.
He never returned from his trip and was reported missing on Saturday. His vehicle was found parked at the Graves Creek Campground.
The Park’s Deputy Superintendent Lee Taylor says they’ve had 20-30 searchers from various organizations on a rotating basis since the search began on Tuesday, as well as 5 different dog teams pitching in. Despite the fact that Miles has been missing for over a week, Taylor says there are reasons to be optimistic.
“I would say, the things that we have going for us are that Mr. Miles is a very experienced outdoorsman and knows the area well, and is familiar with the terrain. On the other hand, it is cold and wet, and it’s very rugged terrain that he’s that he’s lost in. And so we’re going to continue the search efforts today and hope that we find him or some clue of his whereabouts, and will be continuing on into the weekend if we don’t have success today.”
Miles is approximately 5’9” tall, weighs 185 pounds and has blue eyes. He was last seen wearing black rain pants and a camouflage jacket. Miles has been known to carry a dark-colored backpack.