Tyler Wright's family is keeping up the search even after RCMP and search and rescue volunteers have abandoned theirs.
Ricky Herbert, Wright's brother-in-law, said the family has rented high-power helicopters that can fly low and slow enough to scan the rugged terrain where the 36-year-old Vancouver hiker has been missing since Aug. 10. They're hoping to identify any clothing, evidence or abnormalities in the area that can help them pick up his trail.
"He hasn't been found yet and that's why we're continuing the search," Herbert said.
"If we can find any further clues, we will obviously pass that information on to RCMP and search and rescue."
RCMP and search and rescue called off the search for Wright on Sunday, Aug. 29 after covering a 200-square-kilometre area with no success. They told the family it would be impossible to search all corners of the area given its size.
Wright was last seen on Tuesday, Aug. 10 embarking on the Boise Creek Trail near Squamish. He was supposed to complete his trek on Aug. 16 but failed to show up.
Wright, who friends say is an experienced hiker, did not pack a tent or a compass and had very little food with him.
The search teams were able to track Wright's path from the start of the Boise Creek Trail down to the Fool's Gold route through Bull Creek but lost his trail due to the rugged terrain.
"It's difficult to track in," Herbert said. "It's not like you're walking through mud or dirt areas, it's a lot of moss and brush, so for them it was very difficult to get a conclusive footprint," Herbert said.
The website Findtyler.com, dedicated to the search and rescue of Wright, has daily postings of video taken by helicam scanning the area he may have disappeared in. The posts ask for readers' help in scanning the videos to keep a look out for any evidence of the missing hiker.
In a statement on the website, the family said with "warm weather, abundant water, and many potential food sources in the area, a person could survive an extended period."
"He's not the kind of guy that would summit Mount Everest but he's grown up in B.C. His dad's run the outdoor club for a long time in the school system, so he's been brought up camping. He's been brought up outdoors. He hasn't been brought up in Yaletown," Herbert said.
He added: "Everyone's keeping hope alive."
Wright is Caucasian, 6'4", 220 lbs, size 16 feet, with blue eyes and a shaved head. He was last seen wearing grey pants, black zip-up sweater or fleece, green T-shirt and green toque and a black backpack. He goes by the name "Ty."
For more information or to help in the search, visit Findtyler.com
