Shel Israel conveys a message about David Koch, associate publisher of DM Review, who has been lost up on Grouse Mountain since Wednesday.
Shel: I need to ask for help. A friend of mine, David Koch, is missing on a mountain in Canada, and we need to publicize his situation so the search effort continues. I don’t know if this process will work, but perhaps the blogosphere can help. He drove north from Seattle last Wednesday 5/25, stopping in the late afternoon to take a tram up a mountain near Vancouver that he and his wife had visited years before. Apparently he missed the tram back, and attempted to hike down. He hasn’t been heard from since. A search effort was organized , but David’s wife is concerned that interest in continuing the search may be waning.
Shel’s appealing to local people for assistance. I’m not sure what I can do, other than highlight the issue.
I’m not expert, but these searches usually seem to last at least a week. North Vancouver Search and Rescue is one of the best such operations in Canada, and I wouldn’t question their dedication. This Vancouver Sun article (decaying link) indicates that the search is ongoing, with 40 people scouring the mountain. I called the RCMP constable cited in this article to ask about the search duration, but just got voice mail. He’s pretty busy, so I don’t really expect a call back.
It’s so easy to get lost up on the coastal mountains, particularly in the evening. There is hope, though, as three experienced climbers were just rescued off the much higher, more remote and more dangerous Mount Logan. Also, the weather has been exceptionally warm.
DarrenBarefoot.com 
As an odd coincidence, the 3 climbers that were stranded on Mount Logan are members of North Shore Rescue (NSR) and their climb was in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of NSR.
I hiked a Grouse Mountain trail on Saturday with my two mountain climbing dogs looking for David Koch. When we hike they fan out from me about 40 to 50 meters on each side of the trail. They are like little mountain goats.
We hike that mountain from bottom to top and back down again at least once a week. There was a summer when I hiked it every day. I know that mountain better than the back of my hand.
I saw a few seach and rescue guys wandering about. The search and rescue operation seemed to be disorganized and half hearted. Everyone I talked to seemed to think David was dead.
They refused my offer of assistance saying that they were only allowing official search and rescue personnel.
That mountain is climbed by 2500 people a day during nice weekends like this last one. It seems to me that they could have organised those people to assist with the search better than they did.
He is a big husky guy. He would not even be near to death from dehydration yet if he is lost on that mountain somewhere. It is so wild that you can see bears and hear the Grouse thumping and so close to civilization that you can hear car horns honking below.
They should not give up. They should use local hikers who know the trail intimately and they should search systematically up the mountain in a grid pattern.
God bless David and the searchers who are looking for him. They will find him, God willing. And you are very close to God on that mountain.
Dear Everyone who has gone out to look for my brother,
I greatly appreciate the effort and whole hearted work of those that are assisting in David’s search and rescue…I know my brother very well, and wholeheartedly agree that he is an avid outdoorsman and likely to use his skills to survive. Now, after 4 days of searching and the fact that there has been no sign of him within the search area, there is a good possibility that he has wandered beyond the search perimiter. I believe he walked the first night in the dark as I know David was probably thinking he could not be late for his meeting in Vancouver on Thursday, as well as not worry family members, and needed to get out of where ever he was which perhaps led him to probably going further than estimated. David was also under the impression that noone would look for him there as he had not informed anyone of his stop at Grouse Mountain Wednesday evening. Meaning he was less likely to stay put and wait for assistance or help on that evening believing he was the only one who could get himself out of there at that point…David has been in the woods often, canoeing, hiking, and would have the sense to venture and do what he needed to continue on I believe in these circumstances…I am also hoping that there will be continued support and effort to look for him..I am truly greatful for all the hard work and search…I just believe that David is still viable and out there just beyond areas that have been searched,…Please continue with your push for assistance I feel we are just on the brink, God Bless, heartfelt love to all from Dave’s sister Karen…please feel free to contact me at my e-mail address as well in regards to this sirenlips@yahoo.com
Hi Karen,
I’m sure I speak for everyone who reads this blog when I say our thoughts are with your brother.
Dave is a resourceful and determined man who will not have given up.
He is an experienced outdoorsman with great instinct, so PLEASE keep the search going.
Plead your case to let the local climbers help with the search.
Our prayers are with Suzanne and the whole Koch family.
Tom & Chris Duggan
– friends of Dave & Suzanne
To the guy who says his offer of assistance to the North Shore Search and Rescue team was declined: It was most likely because they realized that had they officially let you help, they would inevitably be searching for you too, complicating their mission. The North Shore Search and Rescue is very highly reputed.
I live in West Vancouver, here on the North Shore. I’ve hiked the Grouse Grind 15 times in the last year; 3 times in the last week, hoping to find or hear something about David. It’s a big deal for me; I have a brain injury, and a year ago the idea of climbing the Grind would have been absurd. It’s a thrill for me every time I reach the top. Such a beautiful mountain; but requiring so much respect. From what I hear about David Koch, through family and friends on the news and that little bit of video, he totally “gets” this mountain. Please, please continue the search. His wife, family and friends need him, and we need to find him.
Sincerely,
Barbara Burton
David is still out there. Everyone please keep the faith, especially in David’s outdoor skills. Please Barbara or any of the other local hikers in the area, help Suzanne and her family by organize your own search teams, be safe and help find our friend. We would all be deeply indebted to you.
Chris/Jeanne Luke
We are optimistic that you will find your missing beloved, especially considering the (fairly) warm and mild temperatures. I truly hope that he is not injured somewhere or unconscious as suggested, so as not to be visible. We will keep you in thoughts and prayers. I realized he missed the last tram down, but PLEASE don’t go hiking or walking in the mountains alone!!! It is dangerous for you, frustrates and costs the public, and all too often results in unnecessary loss of life!! Godspeed, David.
I am a member of one of the many local search and rescue groups providing mutual aid to the North Shore team. I commiserate with the frustration sensed by outside observers, and the sense of anxiety felt by those who know David well. Perhaps some details with my perspective may help. On Friday at 1400 hrs my team (one of many involved) was airlifted to a high point on Grouse Mtn. and spent the next six hours searching numerous trails, far from David’s last known point. On Saturday at 0800 hrs we were again flown by helicopter to a new search area. Note that the higher elevations encompassed by the search, including our drop-off point, are blanketed by five feet of snow. Eight hours later, after fifteen kilometers travel searching trails, ridges and drainages, we were airlifted out, completely exhausted, frustrated by our lack of success. Monday at 1230 hrs I returned to take part in the search, now concentrated in the high risk, technical (read vertical) terrain prevalent in this area. At 2145 hrs, now in darkness, we road the tram down, completely spent physically and emotionally. We are currently prevented by weather from continuing an effective, safe search. For those of you expressing a desire to aid in finding David, kudos to you. I applaud your sense of compassion and willingness to help. Keep in mind however that the search to date has been conducted by very competent, highly trained and extremely dedicated personnel who take great pride in the roles they play. I will personally not lead a team into the field unless I am certain that every member of that team possesses the skills and equipment adequate for the task. The thought of untrained people searching this area is, quite bluntly, frightening to me. I continue to hope, as all our members do, that David will be found alive. We, as Search and Rescue volunteers, offer our time and expertise to ensure that he has the best chance possible of surviving his ordeal. Know that this search will not be called off due to lack of commitment or funds. It will only be terminated when the conclusion is reached that further efforts would be ineffective.
Letter to North Shore Search and Rescue and Grouse Mountain Resorts
My complaint is not necessarily with North Shore Search and Rescue. From personal experience I can say that I owe my son’s life to you. As I pointed out in an earlier email you rescued him and airlifted him and his two friends out when they were lost at Cypress Bowl. He was lost in Australian Gully off Cypress Bowl and swept down the gully in an avalanche during the night in January 1998.
None of us are perfect and other people have vanished without a trace on Grouse Mountain. But everyone can learn from experience. Once it was determined conclusively that a human being was lost and out of contact on Grouse mountain, that is at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday May 26, 2005, the Grouse Mountain resort and all of its operations should have been shut down completely save for the rescue operations. I liken this strategy to Wal-Mart’s practice of doing a lock down when a child goes missing from his parent. No one is allowed to enter or leave the store until the child is located. There should be a requirement that people who park their cars in the Grouse Mountain lot leave a notice about their expected time of return and who to contact if they don’t return as is done in other resort parking lots.
Lowly grinders could have been conscripted to systematically and carefully (without disturbing evidence that would help tracking scouts or dogs or making noise that would drown out calls for help) could be assigned well traveled areas of the Grouse Grind and BCMC trails freeing up the experienced SAR tech’s for more difficult terrain. If Canada only permitted professional soldiers to fight on the beaches in Normandy we would have lost the war. Grinders have something to offer gained from their many hours on the mountain.
Only people involved in the search, professional or amateur should be allowed in the search areas.
As it was the Grouse Mountain Resort did not lose a dime of down time to the search, thousands of hikers traveled the trails making noise and destroying potential evidence.
David Koch, beloved husband, brother, and son is not found. If this is the best that Grouse Mountain Resort and North Shore Search and Rescue can do, it is simply not good enough.
Lets learn from this experience, and change the protocol for searches in this situation. I am hiking that mountain frequently and if I was lying injured and helpless in a gully somewhere it would tick me off to no end to here the laughing, joking, and yelling of happy hikers tramping merrily up the mountain around me, as was possibly the case with Mr. Koch.
I know that you guys are doing a great job and that you know more about searches than I will ever know but these are just the observations that I had.
Kathleen
Please continue to search for David. He is an amazing person with a huge heart. His smile would make you all smile. He has so many people worried about him here in Wisconsin and we all feel helpless. Please don’t give up. He is out there and if anyone can make it he can. Let’s get him home safe and soon.
God Bless,
Petra Koch
This is a note to the RCMP – John MacAdam is a good man there — but we need someone in charge there to be willing to reach out to the U.S. Consulate there in Vancouver for help if you need it – please. This is not a knock on the NSRS…but if they you need resources – I understand the U.S. Govt is ready and willing.
BC for JC and David Koch
Please take advantage of the US government’s resources and let them help before it is too late
I couldn’t be more shocked and saddened to hear about David. I grew up with his wife Suzanne in Northern Wisconsin. Suzanne was my older sister Christine’s best friend all through my sister’s life. Tragically and ironically, my sister died 5 years ago on a mountain in Tanzania, Africa. I can imagine the grief and heartbreak Suzanne must be going through, however, she is reliving this painful experience all over again. My sister was missing for two days before the airplane she was in was located, and her body found. Suzanne was an unbelievable source of support and love as well as hope during that heartbreaking time. For her to experience this pain twice with the two people closest to her is unimaginable. For anyone who is near the mountain and sees her little blond head, please tell her that Gena wanted to remind her that her guardian angel Christine is watching over her and Dave. Please give her all of my love and support, as I do not want to contact her during this hectic time. I feel like I am frozen here, as I am living in Los Angeles, far away from Vancouver and Wisconsin, where Suzanne and David’s families must be praying, searching, and calling for him. If I can do anything to help, please email me at genawelchy@yahoo.com I am sending out all of my love and hope that David will be found safe and alive. Sincerely, Gena Welch
I can not imagine what Suzanne and Dave’s family is going through. I pray everyday, several times, that they will find Dave soon. He is such a wonderful person and I just hope everything will turn out.
This is Dave’s sister Karen speaking…
I did this interview for Scott Robarts last evening please read it if you can….http://indiescribe.typepad.com/
Just want to say to the conspiracy theorists on the supposition that my brother took off, and yes we did address this in e-mail to you personally as well, (though there is a part of me that at this point would welcome the luxery of that supposition…as an “If oh God if only please let this be true” I could forgive him in a second and wrap him in my arms, if in fact it was true , at least I would be comforted by the fact that my brother was indeed alive and well)
My brother had been to Grouse Mountain before, he gets to Vancouver maybe twice a year due to his route on buisness…and has even been there, to Grouse Mountain, by himself and with his wife Suzanne previously when they both came to visit Vancouver. This particular instance he was traveling between buisness locations, that being Seattle which he left Wednesday…and towards Vancouver Wednesday evening. He crossed the border into Canada at 6:30pm…stopped briefly and purchased a drink and a snack along the way..arrived at Grouse Mountain at 8:00pm, and rode the tram at 8:30pm…I know in my mind that he had already envisioned having been at Grouse Mountain before, which path he was probably going to travel, regardless of time but ohh he probaly could make it if he hurried..It would be a path that he had not taken before to see something new (to get the most bang for his buck so to speak, making the most of his time, rather than see an area or take a trail he had traversed before)…(my dad always took the scenic route when we traveled growing up…it was always about seeing something new that you had not seen before along the way) (Why he did not check into his hotel first, is that he would have never made it back to the mountain in time to sight see while he was there in Vancouver as he had 2 buiness meetings the next day and his plane was to leave Thursday evening, and had spent a few hours driving in the car what better way to stretch one’s legs..(and yes my brother would rather be with nature, than go out for a beer, or a round of golf, or sit alone in a hotel room in order to center himself)(He spent part of this recent Easter weekend taking my sister Kisten and his nephew canoeing in fact) You see him in the video footage taking long and puposefull strides, knowing he would have to hurry to make his desired destination as he glances at the clock to check the time, my brother was double checking the time, locking it in his mind as he never carries a watch, (it bothers his wrist he says)The clock is also located where the suvellience camera is kept so perhaps making it seem like he is glancing around, when in fact he is looking directly at the clock. He hurries off to his desired destination, a mental goal he is off to conquer in a way…My guess was Dam Mountain as he probaly not gotten that far on previous visits to Grouse Mountain..
This is about all the energy I have to respond to for now, please look at the interview I did for Scott’s blog as well.
http://indiescribe.typepad.com/
God please keep my brother safe, and please bless all those that have searched for my brother these past very long days and to those that go out tomorrow as well to search for him…A heartfelt thanks to all the outpouring of support to my family (For Dave especially, as well as my mom (Ardell Koch), Dave’s siblings..including myself (his sister Karen), his sister Kisten, brother Erik, my sister Korrine, (and his 5 nieces and nephews who adore him so much) and importantly Dave’s wife Suzanne who truly is a sister to me…your well wishes are truly heard by us…
Pray also for my Mother whose birthday is tomorrow, Monday June 6th…
Thank you all so much Karen Koch sirenlips@yahoo.com
I am devastated that the official search has been called off. I want to be part of a team that continues. I have a brain injury, but I do the Grouse Grind fairly regularly, and have done a little rock climbing. Please, let me help; I can serve coffee, arrange a candleligh vigil, anything that might help. My email is isippid@hotmail.com. We can’t give up, not yet. Grouse is a beautiful, unforgiving mountain, but I love it and we must not leave a man up there.
Sincerely,
Barbara Burton
p.s. Karen or Petra or your brothers; I would be very interested in connecting with you, trying to organize our own private search parties. I am Barbara Burton at isippid@hotmail.com, or (604) 926-2392
http://www.cknw.com/news/news_local.cfm?cat=7428109912&rem=11315&red=80110923aPBIny&wids=410&gi=1&gm=news_local.cfm
” NORTH VANCOUVER(CKNW/AM980) – RCMP confirm the body of missing American David Koch has been found on the North Shore.
He was last seen on Grouse Mountain the night of May 25th.
Constable John MaCadam speaks for the North Vancouver RCMP.
“We this afternoon received a tip from an anonymous hiker that he may have recovered the body of Mr Koch and four of our members attended to the scene this afternoon and hiked to this area and we have recovered the body of Mr Koch and the family has been notified and the body is being airlifted out as we speak”
MacAdam has more information on where the body was found.
” I believe it’s roughly 650 metres east of The Bluffs Trail is I believe the name of the trail in quite a precarious spot””
Posted by: | June 7, 2005 04:25 PM
How sad. What a tragic loss. I hope everyone rallies around the family because they are going to need a lot of love and support right now.
Some like-minded hikers and I have been out on Grouse almost every day, searching on our own. We were on the mountain this afternoon when the helicopter came over, twice; it hovered for a long time, then flew away. We had wild hope, then heard the news. A sad, sad day. Our hearts go out to David’s family and friends; how desperately we wanted a different resolution.