Located in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest in the state of Washington is the majestic Mount Rainier. A large active stratovolcano, Mount Rainier is the highest mountain in Washington with an elevation of 14,411 ft (4,392 m), and surrounding it is a vast swath of wilderness covering 236,381 acres that has been designated as the Mount Rainier National Park. Rich with wildlife, waterfalls, subalpine meadows, glaciers, and old growth forest, the area is very popular for all manner of outdoor activities including hiking, camping, and mountaineering, attracting droves of people every year. However, Mount Rainier seems to be in a sense hungry, in that it is a hotspot for odd unsolved disappearances, and there have been many strange cases of people who have come here to never leave.
The family of University of Washington anthropology professor Sam Dubal, who has been missing since Oct. 9 when he embarked on an overnight hike on Mount Rainier in Washington, has established a memorial fund and fellowship at UC Berkeley and at the University of Washington to honor his legacy.
Dubal went missing exactly a month before his 34
th birthday. He leaves behind his parents, Bharat and Saroj, and two sisters, Veena and Dena.
Mount Rainier National Park Service search and rescue teams conducted an intensive search for the missing Indian American researcher, who was hiking alone on the 17-mile loop trail. The search and rescue team, which at one point consisted of 50 people, used aerial drones, helicopters, canines, and other search mechanisms.