AWOL Soldier Found In Little Yosemite Valley

NPS: “On Sunday, November 26th, rangers arrested Christopher Powell in Little Yosemite Valley, a backcountry camping area six trail miles from Yosemite Valley. A limited search for Powell had begun on the night of November 19th, when rangers noted that a vehicle registered to him had been parked at a trailhead for a long period of time.

When rangers ran the vehicles’ registration, they discovered that Powell was AWOL from an Army base in Virginia. Further checks revealed that Powell had obtained a wilderness permit for the John Muir Trail for the period from November 6th to November 20th. When he did not return to his vehicle on the 20th, rangers investigated further. They found that Powell had come out of the backcountry to buy supplies at a store in Yosemite Valley on November 16th. Missing person flyers were posted and hikers eventually reported that Powell was camping in Little Yosemite Valley.

On the eve of an impending winter storm, rangers hiked to the valley and contacted Powell. They found that he had a loaded .38 caliber handgun in his possession, and he told rangers that he’d contemplated suicide. Powell was arrested and escorted down the trail. An Army AWOL apprehension team took him into custody.”