Father Of Missing Hiker Returns From Mount Fuji
PORTAGE (AP) - The latest search for a Michigan man who went missing more than a month ago while hiking on Japan's Mount Fuji was unsuccessful, his father said Wednesday.
"We just need a break," Jerry Johnson told The Associated Press after returning to Michigan following a week of searching the 12,388-foot peak, which is covered in snow and ice.
His son, Matthew, of Portage last was seen Jan. 13 on the mountain. The 33-year-old software engineer for Eaton Corp. was in Japan on business.
Mount Fuji is treacherous in wintertime. Jerry Johnson said he and a son-in-law camped at a station on the mountain, and snow on the upper part of the peak was about 3 feet deep.
"We had some expert climbers that were able to get all over the mountain and down in the woods," he said. "And they just looked everywhere and there's no sign."
Some of Matthew's gear or other signs may be found when the weather gets warmer, he added.
"Now, we have to get lucky," Jerry Johnson said. "There are a lot of people who do go up on the mountain in the winter. By mid-May the snow will start to melt and more climbers will go up."
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