Ex-White House chef missing on US mountain

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Ex-White House chef missing on US mountain
AP
June 20, 2015, 11:14 am

US authorities are searching by air and ground in a rugged New Mexico mountain range for a former White House chef reported missing on a solo hike.

New Mexico State Police said on Friday they had no leads yet on 61-year-old Walter Scheib, the White House chef for 11 years under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Scheib recently moved from Florida to Taos, New Mexico, and reportedly went for a hike last Saturday in the mountains near the Taos Ski Valley.

His girlfriend reported him missing, and police found his car on Tuesday parked at the Yerba Canyon trailhead.






Read more: https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/28507718/

[SheilaT]

1. Oh, dear.

From sea level to at least 10,000 feet. That's not good.

[Warpy]

2. Depends on what "recently" means.

It takes a healthy person about a month to manufacture enough red blood cells for oxygen transport at this altitude, about 7500 feet in Taos, proper. If he's been here a month, altitude probably wasn't that big a problem.

However, "death by New Mexico" happens every year and can happen to very experienced hikers and climbers, all it takes is some loose rock in a bad place.

[SheilaT]

3. I had thought it was around two weeks, but to be honest

I had not researched this very carefully.

I live in Santa Fe, at 7,000 feet. I'm well adjusted. Last summer I spent two weeks at a writers workshop in the Taos ski area, at 10,000 feet, and I spent the first ten days telling the others, all of whom were essentially from sea level, that they'd be just about adjusted to the altitude when it was time to leave. I don't think anyone actually believed me.

I've lived at altitude two different times in my life. In 1987 I moved from Phoenix, AZ to Boulder, CO. A few years later I moved to Overland Park, KS. Then, in 2008 I moved to Santa Fe, NM, which is at 7,000 feet. I LOVE living at altitude. But I do want to say that last year when I was in Taos, I kept on assuring those with me that I could tell the difference between 7,000 feet and 10,000 feet. I'm not sure they actually believed me.

When we first moved to Boulder in 1987, my husband kept on needing to return to Phoenix, AZ, essentially sea level for his job, and as a consequence his adjustment to altitude was delayed.

Cooking. I first learned to cook at altitude in Boulder. It's about 6,000 feet there. I adapted many recipes. I can tell you that the difference between that and the 7,000 feet in Santa Fe makes a difference, and I've had to adjust many recipes even more.

One amusing thing about living at altitude, is that it's sort of like exercising. When you go to a lower altitude, you seem to be fit. I've lived at altitude, gone to sea level, had to chase after an errant child, and could do so without becoming breathless. Yes!

[Warpy]

7. That's why so many Olympic athletes train out here, the altitude

Those extra red blood cells transporting scarce oxygen are what make you feel so much fitter at a lower altitude. Erythropoetin, a drug given to cancer patients to stimulate the bone marrow, does the same thing but is banned as doping. So they come here and risk their necks biking Old 66.

[Jamastiene]

10. So, you are saying it is best to acclimate

to higher altitudes before doing strenuous activity? I mean, I know if you go way above sea level, you can get sick from it, but at mid ranges, can you get sick from it too?

The reason I ask is that, although I love Morrow Mountain and some of the other mountains further west (and slightly taller, but still mid-range compared to others) in NC, every time I go, I get sick as a dog. They told me once that I had altitude sickness. I have been looking for some method to be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery without getting sick every time I go.

[petronius]

12. It looks like Morrow Mountain is only 936' high - that seems awfully low for

altitude sickness. I wonder if there's something else out there that triggers your symptoms - a pollen, for example. May be a good question for your doctor.

But in general, ways to minimize altitude sickness are slow ascents, sleeping at low elevations ("hike high, sleep low&quot , acclimate for ~24+ hours before strenuous activity, stay hydrated, avoid alcohol. There is also a medication (Diamox) that can help, another doctor question...

[Warpy]

14. One thing they've found with severe altitude sickness

is cerebral edema, swelling in the brain. We see it out here when people from the big cities at sea level decide to go snowboarding at places like Taos. Sea level to 10,000 feet is no joke.

You shouldn't get altitude sickness at Morrow Mountain, it's not that high, although you'd have to change all your recipes if you're a baker. You'd feel terrible on the mountain, fine when you got home if you were getting altitude sickness. If you don't get sick when you fly, you're definitely not feeling 1000 feet of altitude, airline cabins are pressurized to 8000 feet, something nearly everyone can tolerate if they're sitting quietly.

I flew out here from sea level (Boston) to 7500 feet (Santa Fe) and didn't really notice anything until I tried to jog up to the motel office for some hot water. The jog turned into a walk pretty quickly. Unless I did something stupid, I was fine. I got a little woozy on one of the high passes a couple of days later on the way to Taos, but it passed as soon as the altitude dropped a little.

One thing you can do is make sure you're not anemic. Correct it and you should be fine.

[TexasTowelie]

4. Here is a link that I posted in the New Mexico group a couple of nights ago:

Former White House chef Walter Scheib missing near Taos

[Marrah_G]

5. I hope they find him

it would be terrible to die out there alone.

[loudsue]

6. Rumsfeld moved to Santa Fe. Too bad he's not missing.

Just saying'.

[Snotcicles]

9. Wow talk about extremes. Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson live in that area. nt

[Archae]

8. Two days until Alex Jones conspiracy theory...

Unless Jones is slipping...

[Jamastiene]

11. I am surprised he doesn't already have one going.

Maybe it's because there is a holiday weekend this weekend. He'll do his Father's Day stuff first, then come up with something.

[Archae]

13. Right now he's blaming the government for the SC shooting.

Calling it a "false flag," as always.

[Judi Lynn]

15. Search resumes in mountains for missing ex-White House chef

Search resumes in mountains for missing ex-White House chef
Jun 20, 3:56 PM EDT

TAOS, N.M. (AP) -- Authorities resumed a search by air and ground Saturday in a New Mexico mountain range for a former White House chef who has now been missing for a week.

New Mexico State Police spokeswoman Elizabeth Armijo said the agency plans to exhaust all resources to conduct an extensive search for 61-year-old Walter Scheib, the White House chef for 11 years under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush

Scheib recently moved from Florida to Taos, New Mexico, and reportedly went for a hike June 13 in the mountains near the Taos Ski Valley. His girlfriend reported him missing the next day. Taos police found his vehicle Tuesday parked at the Yerba Canyon trailhead. The 4-mile trail follows a canyon bottom before climbing to 3,700 feet in elevation, according to the U.S. Forest Service website.

. . .

He also has been actively involved in Atlanta's City of Refuge, which provides services to homeless and abused residents.

More:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SEARCH_EX_WHITE_HOUSE_CHEF?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-06-20-13-31-12

[center]

Yerba Canyon[/center]

[Judi Lynn]

16. Former White House Chef's Cellphone Signal Tracked to New Mexico Mountain

Former White House Chef's Cellphone Signal Tracked to New Mexico Mountain

Jun 20, 2015, 1:04 PM ET
By DEVIN DWYER and BENJAMIN SIEGEL
Digital Correspondent, White House

Investigators looking for a former White House executive chef traced his cellphone signal to a mountain in New Mexico’s Taos Ski Valley the day he disappeared last week, ABC News has learned.

Walter Scheib, 61, was reported missing by his girlfriend when he did not return home from a hike 10 miles outside of Taos last Saturday. He had worked for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Investigators traced his cellphone signal near Lobo Peak, which rises to 12,000 feet, said Bob Rodgers, who is leading the operation for the New Mexico Department of Public Safety.

. . .

A search of Scheib's home found that his fishing gear was missing, said New Mexico State Police spokeswoman Elizabeth Armijo. It's unclear whether he took it on his hike as he was known to be a boating and fishing enthusiast.

More:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/white-house-chefs-cellphone-signal-tracked-mexico-mountain/story?id=31912864