Search continues for hiker in Ventana Wilderness
Monterey County officials are searching for a woman who they say left for a hike Monday and hasn’t been seen since.
Caroline Meister, 30, was reported missing Monday night after she didn’t return from a hike in Carmel Valley, according to the Monterey County Sheriff ’s Office.
Officials said Meister left the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center — a remote hot spring in the Ventana Wilderness — around 10 a.m. Monday with plans to hike a loop trail in the area.
Leslie James, a teacher at the zen center, said officials from six counties are searching for Meister but had not found her as of Wednesday afternoon. Officials are focusing their search on two trails — the Windcave Trail and the Horse Pasture Trail — where they believe Meister may have gone, according to James.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said a California Highway Patrol helicopter has also been dispatched to search for Meister. Officials said they are requesting additional resources, as well as turning to the public for help.
Meister is a white woman with long, brown wavy hair likely pulled up, according to the sheriff ’s office. She is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs around 150 pounds. Meister was not dressed for an overnight hike and was carrying only snacks when she left, officials said.
Anyone who was hiking in the area on Monday or who might have seen Meister is asked to contact the sheriff ’s office at 831-755-5111. The sheriff’s office is also asking anyone who goes hiking in the area to be on the lookout for Meister.