In the 1966-1991 T&T History Book, there is mention of members who had passed away in “The Sun Has Set.” It relays that “Jack Dorn (May, 1977), [formerly of Utica] fell to his death in Yosemite. He was a member of a team that was trying to rescue several climbers trapped on a cliff.” At that time it was reported that for an unknown reason a Search and Rescue volunteer, Jack Dorn, veered off a well-worn path and fell 400-600 feet to his death. As one speculating climber said, ‘members of the Yosemite rescue team do not accidentally walk off the Falls trail, end of story.’”

So what happened? The backstory includes a stranger-than-fiction tale of a plane crashing in Yosemite that carried 6,000 pounds of marijuana and of the climbers of Camp Four, who mined the frozen lake in search of bales of marijuana that could result in great riches. Surely Jack Dorn was one of these. It is rumored that he found something else besides the pot, something like an address book.

There is much documention of the plane crash, there have been articles written, fiction books sold, and a documentary made. But none solve the mystery behind the death of Jack Dorn. Was his death an accident? Was he murdered because of his newfound riches, or perhaps because of his mysterious find?
(T&T sleuth Connors, 2017)

(In March, April, May 2017 schedule)