Article Taken From The Fresno Bee online

Missing Corcoran official is found
City manager not injured after spending three chilly nights in Yosemite.

By Susie Pakoua Vang / The Fresno Bee
09/18/07 04:35:28
CORCORAN -- Corcoran City Manager Ron Hoggard was relaxing at home Monday after being lost for three nights in Yosemite National Park, where temperatures dipped to just above freezing.

Rescuers traveling on foot found Hoggard, 58, cold, hungry and mildly dehydrated about 8:30 a.m. Monday near Taft Point off Glacier Point Road, said Adrienne Freeman, a park ranger.

Hoggard, who was not injured, was flown by helicopter to Yosemite Medical Clinic to be checked.

Hoggard said "it was like Christmas" when rescuers found him.

He said he was taking photos near Taft Point on Friday when he decided to return to his car. That is when he said he got a stomach ache and went off the trail. He never found the trail again.

With no food, he relied on the water in a small bottle he had with him. When that water ran out, he drank from a creek.

To keep warm during the nights, Hoggard, who was an Eagle Scout, dug holes to sleep in with his bare hands. He shielded himself from the wind with bark and parts of a decaying tree.

"I think I probably shivered the entire night," he said.

Hoggard said he saw the rescue helicopter several times and tried to flag it down, but he was like "a needle in a haystack."

When rescuers finally found him early Monday, he said he was relieved and grateful for all the help.

"It's good to be back home," he said.

Freeman said, "It's such a happy outcome."

This was the park's second large-scale search of the year. The last search was for an 80-year-old woman who went hiking in late July. Her body was recovered two weeks later.

Hoggard, an avid photographer, went to Yosemite on Friday to take pictures of the sunset at Taft Point. His wife, Zona, reported him missing Saturday afternoon.

Freeman praised the 70 searchers -- many of them volunteers from places such as Fresno, Madera and Los Angeles counties, as well as Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park -- for their work.

Much of the search focused between the southern rim of Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point Road, which is a heavily forested area about 7,000 feet in elevation.

"There is a lot of potential to get disoriented," Freeman said. "It has some areas where the terrain drops off very quickly into Yosemite Valley. It would be very easy to get yourself into serious trouble."

Hoggard's safe return has eased the minds of church members and Corcoran city colleagues.

Valley members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have prayed for the safe return of Hoggard, who is president of the Corcoran branch, said Kathy Barberich, a spokeswoman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Hanford stake, which includes the Corcoran group.

"So often, you pray and pray for things," she said. "You don't know which way things are going to turn out, but you have to turn things over to God, and that's all you can do."

Barberich's prayers were answered Monday when she learned that Hoggard was found.

"I just got chills," Barberich said hours after he was found. "Thank you, Lord."

City leaders also are ecstatic over Hoggard's safe return.

"It's amazing that he had the skill to survive that long," said Joyce Venegas, Corcoran's deputy city manager. "We're glad he's coming back."

Corcoran officials also decided to go ahead with the City Council meeting scheduled for Monday.

On Sunday, Venegas said city leaders weren't sure whether to cancel the meeting because of Hoggard's disappearance.

Mayor Dick Haile, who has a wall in his home filled with Hoggard's photography, also is happy to have his friend home.

"We're more than just mayor and city manager," Haile said, adding that he has accompanied Hoggard on some of his photo expeditions.

Haile said he was glad to see the city come together to help, which is indicative of the positive influence Hoggard has had on people.

"Ron is one heck of a man," Haile said. "He's a good city manager, but he's a great human being. He's a mentor to all of us."
Bee reporter Farin Montañez contributed to this report.

The reporter can be reached at svang@fresnobee.com or (559) 622-2409.

MCSO SAR Unit Mission Summary (mission 07-42)