Updated: Search for missing student

Updated May 21, 4:59 p.m. John Paul Chaufan Field, the missing hiker in Yosemite National Park, has been found safe and in good condition. He was spotted by the park’s contract helicopter at approximately 3:15 p.m. this afternoon near Edith Lake, approximately five miles east of Kibbie Lake, the point where he was last seen.

Once Chaufan Field was spotted by the helicopter, Yosemite National Park Rangers contacted him and found him to be unharmed and in good health. He is currently being transported from the backcountry to the Hetch Hetchy Ranger Station.

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John Paul Chaufan Field

Yosemite National Park is searching for John Paul Chaufan Field, 22, a college student at the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC). Chaufan Field was last seen near Kibbie Lake in the Hetch Hetchy area of northwestern Yosemite National Park on Saturday, May 19. He was on a backpacking trip with a group of fellow students from UCSC, who were conducting an outdoor recreation trip.

The UCSC group began their backpacking trip from Cherry Lake on Friday, May 18, and set up camp near Kibbie Lake that evening.  At approximately 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 19, it was noticed that Chaufan Field was not present during a headcount. When the group reassembled approximately one hour later after a short day hike, he was still unaccounted for.

Yosemite National Park is asking anyone who was in the area of Kibbie Lake over the weekend to call the Yosemite Emergency Communication Center at 209-379-1992. Phones will be answered 24-hours a day, 7-days per week.

Chaufan Field is 5’ 5” tall, weighs 120 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing eyeglasses, an earth colored baggy plaid button-up long-sleeve shirt, an olive/brown undershirt, cut-off denim shorts, and Vibram Five-Finger shoes.

Approximately 50 personnel are assisting in the ground search, including Search and Rescue teams from Yosemite National Park Search and Rescue, Contra Costa County, Marin County, Monterey County, and the Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit (BAMRU).  Additionally, the park helicopter and a California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter are assisting ground teams in the search for Chaufan Field. Search dogs are also being utilized in the area. –Press Release