Missing Peak Bagger on Mt. Morgan (N) Found Deceased — Monday–Tuesday, October 5th–6th, 2026, 26-500, Op #52

On Monday, October 5th, at 1130 hours, the Team was paged by the Mono County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) for a report of an overdue hiker (peak bagger), previously identified in a missing person’s report as Brian Seibert, who was last heard from after attempting Mt. Morgan via the North Ridge the night prior, at approximately 1900 hours. Rescue Base was established just before the Crowley Lake BLM Campground (ICP). While initial information was extremely limited, Rescue Operations requested air resources to begin an aerial search. CHP H42 out of Fresno accepted, with an ETA of 45 minutes. Investigators with MCSO, as well as local area experts from the Team, began to assemble more information, from topographic matching on photos to extensive cell phone forensics data, to help establish a search pattern. Rescue Operations also activated one of the Team’s air-scent SAR K9s and handler, Team 1, to begin a search from the subject’s vehicle.

As H42 arrived overhead, their primary mission became searching the summit ridgeline, as it was determined that Brian had ascended the North Ridge. Though he had sent a message indicating he was returning, it was unclear if he had summited. Operations deployed a team of two, Team 2, to view the east gullies on Mt. Morgan with high-power optics as they ascended toward, and later far beyond the Hilton Bench. Another team of two, Team 3, was deployed into the field with H42 and inserted at 11,200 feet, due west of the summit of Mt. Morgan, which sits at just over 13,000 feet. Operations also ran a UAV, which worked with Team 2 to rule out findings from afar.

Team 3 summited Mt. Morgan, laying eyes on west-facing areas of interest along the way. While on top, they were able to confirm that Brian had summited, after viewing his entry in the register. Cell phone forensics indicated he may have begun his descent the same way he ascended, via the North Ridge; however, visual clues were indeterminate. Operations began working on assignments and structures for Operational Period 2, including the use of mutual aid resources and larger helicopters, as teams continued hasty field assignments. Operational Period 1 concluded at darkness on Monday night, October 5th with no positive findings.

At 0700 hours Tuesday morning, Inyo SAR and Mono SAR team members met for a search brief at Mono SAR Headquarters in Mammoth Lakes. Seven field teams composed of Type I and Type 2 searchers were assembled and issued assignments, with coverage encompassing almost every aspect of Mt. Morgan, top to bottom. Additional teams of operations, support, and logistics positions were filled by other team members. A Cal OES night-flying FIRIS aircraft showed promising data of a single individual stoking a large campfire at Davis Lake, below Mt. Morgan. One of the seven field teams, Team 1, was deployed early to the field and entered from the Hilton Lakes Trailhead to make quick access to the area. H42 again accepted a flight request and, in conjunction with Team 1 on the ground, determined the FIRIS hit to actually be a party of three backpackers. H42 then returned to Fresno.

The remaining five Type I teams left Mono SAR HQ and reconvened at Mammoth Airport (MMH), where a Cal Guard CH-47 Chinook, Schooner 06, was inbound to insert them. After a tarmac brief, all teams loaded the CH-47 and were inserted at 12,500 feet, due south of the summit of Mt. Morgan. After insertion, the CH-47 was given aerial search assignments. Additional teams were deployed from ICP, including a K9 team, to continue working lower sections and provide a search pattern.

Just after 1400 hours, Schooner 06 identified an anomaly from the air near the bottom of Grand Central Couloir, which is a prominent east-facing gully off of the summit proper. Team 3, which had been following a single set of tracks descending the couloir made their way to the anomaly, which was Brian Seibert. It was determined that Brian sustained an unsurvivable fall from a cliff band at the base of the couloir.

At this point, Teams 1, 3 and 4 united into a single team for the recovery effort. The CH-47 returned to MMH for fuel, and logistics support members from the Team delivered additional supplies and extraction equipment for the helicopter to insert into the field. After fueling, the Schooner crew departed MMH, and landed roughly half a mile below Brian’s location. Team members in the field slowly descended to the helicopter through an extremely dense baby aspen forest, and unloaded gear from the CH-47. Due to the extremely challenging nature of the terrain between Brian’s location and the nearest landing zone, it was determined that there would be insufficient time to safely complete the recovery that evening, and the remaining field teams began the hike back to base after packaging and preparing Brian for extraction the next day. As the teams neared the trailhead, they were shuttled the last mile-and-a-half to Base in Ranger Two.  Base was demobilized just after dark.

Brian was recovered early Wednesday morning by Yosemite National Park shorthaul-capable helicopter 551 and crew from YOSAR. 

The Team sends its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and Eastside community for the loss of Brian Seibert.

An enormous thank you goes out to our local and state partners for their assistance on this call, including, but not limited to: Inyo County Sheriff/SAR, Cal OES, Cal Guard Schooner 06, CHP Central Air Ops, YNP, FOYOSAR, Mammoth Airport, and the many direct and behind-the-scenes MCSO SAR coordinators, investigators, and support personnel.

This operation concluded  at 1957 hours on Tuesday, October 6th.

Volunteer hours: 305

IC: Gillespie // Responders (21): Ackerman + K9 Solo, Baron, Blackman, Cornelius, Cowan, Creager, Glessner, Haugh (Ops), Huizingh, Knect, Knight, Lipman, Pavlovsky, Quiring (Deputy Ops), Romanova, Salay (Ops/Search Management), Schildge, Senior, Tardy, Wallace