UPDATED "Missing" poster for Winston! Includes pics of gear.

To print off updated missing poster of Winston, please go to link http://groups.google.com/group/insearchofwinston
Click on "files" and then on "Winston+B+Churchill+Missing+Poster.doc
Thank you!

Winston's gear

The pics are of some of the pertinent gear Winston has with him:
1. Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 with a sage green fly. This is a 2-person, 3-season tent.
2. Patagonia down sweater jacket burnt orange color, similar to the one in the above picture but a little more orange (see the pic of Winston wearing it on the right)
3. Arc'Teryx Sidewinder SV Gore-tex jacket in bone color, similar to the one in the above pic but more grey/white-ish
4. Gregory backpack (color uncertain)

RE: Current search (options) and "Missing" posters

Hello friends & family of Winston,

Thank you for the support and involvement thus far into the search for Winston. The amount of response has been amazing. We continue to be hopeful for Winston's safe return.

I have not been successful in engaging the local authorities to start-up a second search party for Winston given the uncertain directional intention of Winston. The area where Winston was last seen Umcompahgre Wilderness (near Lake City, CO) is very remote, dense and rugged wilderness and the probability of a successful search is unlikely. The following Colorado counties have been notified of Winston's disappearance: Montrose, Gunnison, La Plata, San Juan and Hinsdale is he may have headed in any of these directions.

Currently, the most effective and efficient effort we can make is to post the "Missing- Winston Churchill" posters at every possible trailhead, local parking lot, and public facilities in and around surrounding areas, spanning out towards Silverton, Durango, Lake City, etc. There are many hunters and hikers in the wood at this time of year. Please print out the poster file posted on the Google groups website and post in any likely location you can think of and are able to. Thank you already to the many people who have already been posting these in their communities.

However, there is a significant interest in doing a foot search for Winston in the area where he was last seen. As you may have seen, there have been responses on the blog (insearchofwinston.blogspot.com) as well as 14ers.com. If you are still able and interested in participating in a search, please contact Doug Wall AND the local Sheriff's office at the following numbers below as they will be the best to provide professional advice.

*Doug Wall dugwall@hotmail.com (970) 769-3050
*Sheriff Ron Bruce of the Hinsdale County Sheriff's Department (970) 944-2291
*Deputy Justin Casey of the Hinsdale County Sheriff's Dept

Additionally, thanks to Paddy who created a Google group e-mail account/list which we can all use and access. This is a way for us all to, within a group, reply to a message that someone else posted, or post a message or question of your own. You can also create a discussion topic and keep in touch with each other this way. (i.e. interested search parties for Winston.) Check it out at: http://groups.google.com/group/insearchofwinston
The e-mail address is: insearchofwinston@googlegroups.com

Ideally, we would like to use the above Google group/e-mail address in conjunction with the blogspot (insearchofwinston.blogspot.com) as organized ways for communication. Thanks.

Please contact Shanna if you are having trouble opening the "Missing" poster attachment as I will be unavailable for the next 5 days. Thank you. Winston is in our thoughts.

Jonathan Wrobel
Shanna Rivera



Can you participate in a search? Can you post fliers in your community?

Thanks to a friend of Winston's who posted a note on 14ers.com website. I was checking it out this evening and already saw an amazing amount of responses and many people willing to help in any way they can . Thanks to the 14ers community! Keep up the chatter- good things are forming already. As of tonight, communication has been made with the post office, Sheriff's deptartment and some citizens of Lake City, news channel(s) in the Denver area, the 14ers.com community, and some citizens in Silverton, CO. Of course, if you are reading this, you too are in the loop :) There is talk (and action-in-progress) of a search party(-ies) being formed in the Lake City area to look for Winston.

- PLEASE COMMENT TO THIS POST IF YOU ARE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SEARCH. Also, state your location and the time you are able to dedicate to the search. We will keep you posted on the search details. ***ADDITIONALLY, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU CONTACT THE HINSDALE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AT (970) 944.2291 SO THAT THEY CAN ORGANIZE THE SEARCH PARTIES IN DETAIL.***

-ALSO, PLEASE REPLY TO THIS POST IF YOU ARE WILLING & ABLE TO PUT UP "SEARCHING FOR WINSTON" FLIERS IN YOUR COMMUNITY. I will e-mail you the one-page pdf file to print off. Please state the community where you live so we can get as much coverage as possible.

Thanks!

So, who do you contact to share information?

1. If you have emergent information regarding Winston and his whereabouts, please directly contact:
Sheriff Ron Bruce or Deputy Justin Casey with the Hinsdale County Sheriff's Department at (970) 944.2291

2. **We are strongly encouraging to please post your information, thoughts, feelings, updates, prayers, etc. on this blog. We prefer that we all start communicating via the blog as this is more efficient and informative.**

3. You may otherwise contact those of us directly involved in the search at the following phone numbers:
Jonathan Wrobel - Chicago, IL
Mobile: (224) 532.0172
E-mail: jonathanwrob@gmail.com

Shanna Rivera - Denver, CO
Mobile: (720) 231.4595
E-mail: shannamr@gmail.com

Paddy Hannon - Los Angeles, CA
Mobile: (213) 804.9287
E-mail: phannon@edmunds.com

Shawn Heinrichs - Boulder, CO
Mobile: (303) 809.5567
shawn.heinrichs@bluespheremedia.com

Map of the area where Winston was last seen (specifically near Lake City, CO). Click on map to enlarge.

To catch you all up to speed...

This blog was started because of the course of events of Winston's life this past year. As many of you all know, Winston closed the doors of Mobius Cafe & Cycles in Silverton, CO in December 2007 and headed back up to Lakewood, CO. There, he experienced a time of inner exploration and working on his book. In June 2008, he decided to hike the Colorado Trail, a 500 mile trail from Denver to Durango. Throughout his backpacking course, Winston periodically stayed in touch with Shanna and myself (Jonathan), and together we assisted him in his trek via sending food & gear packages, etc. Although the exact purpose of Winston's desire to hike the trail is unclear, we have reason to believe that his recent "disappearance" into the deep wilderness of the San Juan mountain range could be one of self destruction. From the last phone messages Shanna and I received from Winston, he was tearful and sad, stating that he "no longer needed anything anymore." Shanna and I decided to contact the local Sheriff's department in Hinsdale County (Lake City, CO) which then prompted a foot search totaling over 250 hours in search of Winston. That search took place around the end of August/early September. The only information from their search was surfaced by contact with a local sheep herder who verified by description Winston, hiking in the Elk Creek drainage (Uncompahgre Wilderness), heading towards the Big Blue drainage (which is northerly), but that he (Winston) had plans to come back to Lake City in about a week. This would estimate that Winston was due back in Lake City around Sept. 8th or so but no word of/from him since.