By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A second night fell with no sign of a 79-year-old Tacoma man who vanished while gathering mushrooms in the forests south of Randle.
Dapeng Yang
Dapeng Yang is an experienced hiker and isn’t believed to have any medical issues which would have contributed to him getting lost, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
Searchers combed the area until dark last night and more than 30 individuals are looking for Yang again today, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown.
He and two female family members were in the area off Forest Road 26 near Strawberry Mountain picking mushrooms on Sunday.
They last saw him about 10:30 a.m. and called for help when he did not reappear by 3 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office.
It’s a heavily wooded area about 10 miles south of Randle, according to Brown.
The sheriff’s office says he was not prepared for an overnight stay, although he did have a backpack with water.
Multiple search and rescue teams from around Western Washington are assisting.
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For background, read: “Tacoma man missing from mushroom gathering outing south of Randle” from Monday October 8, 2012 at 8:40 a.m., here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
mushromm and fern pickers are asking to get lost when they don’t look up occassionally to check out their surroundings. That’s part of being in the wilderness.