Missing hiker not found; search to resume Tuesday

The search continued Monday for a man who became separated from his hiking partner while in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Kristopher Zitzewitz, 31, of Portland was hiking in the Goose Lake area of the forest on Saturday but got separated from his partner near the lava beds, said Pat Bond, chief criminal deputy for the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office.

Volunteers searched the area until 6 p.m. Sunday, when they ran out of sunlight and resources, Bond said.

Twenty-one volunteers resumed the search Monday at 8 a.m. with four-wheel drive vehicles and dogs, Bond said. The search lasted until dark.

Hazards at night include “deep crevices, holes, and now with the amount of water we’ve gotten up there, there’s water hazards that are very dangerous to walk on during the day, let alone at night,” Bond said.

The search was expected to resume today.