Search continues for missing hiker on Big Foot Trail

UPDATE: David Ura and his dog have been found alive. Read more HERE.


Central Point, Ore. – David Ura was declared missing last Friday, after he was supposed to meet his daughter and son in Hayfork, but never showed up.

His neighbors tell me they’re surprised that an experienced hiker like him could ever go missing. John Pope describes David Ura as an avid hiker and someone who is prepared for everything.

“He knows how to survive,” Pope said.

Pope has known Ura for about four years. So, when he heard Ura had gone missing on Big Foot Trail in California, he was shocked.

“He has checkpoints all along the way, and I thought he had GPS or something like that, he goes equipped,” he said.

Ura works at R.E.I., and Pope says he’s an active guy, going on long distance hikes at least once a year with his dog.

But Tehama County Sheriff’s Office says Big Foot Trail isn’t easy, with some sections of the remote 360 mile hike unrecognizable as an actual walking path.

“This is pretty sparse, rugged area. I think it would be very easy for someone to wander off trail and not even realize they were doing that,” Detective Robert Bakken said.

Tehama County Sheriff’s Office says they have conducted unsuccessful searches by air since Ura went missing. Right now the current search area is about 144 square miles.

“That’s the reason we’re doing aerial searches at this point is to narrow down a better spot to search because of just how large this area could be,” Bakken said.

The Ura family has created a GoFundMe account. The money raised is going to friends and family, who are searching for Ura themselves.

“We just pray that he’s okay, and people should donate to that GoFundMe account because it’s not just a GoFundMe waste account, it’s going to a good cause,” Pope said.

If you want to donate to David Ura’s go-fund-me or help in the search, please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/help-us-look-for-our-lost-father

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