Hiking Poles of Missing Man Found in Australian National Park

The hiking poles of a missing man were found in an Australian National Park as search length reaches a week.

Mount Kosciuszko, Kosciuszko National Park, Australia / Christopher Burns/Unsplash

It has now been over a week since Hadi Nazari went missing while hiking in the Kosciuszko National Park. While he still hasn't been found, some of his gear was recently recovered.

The Guardian has been providing constant updates of the search for Nazari and their latest information shared was that trash and hiking poles, believed to belong to the hiker, had been found on Tuesday night.

The 23-year-old went on a trip with two friends in the Australian national park on December 22. He was supposed to return home five days later.

Before that time came, the friends he had gone on the trip with had notified local authorities that Nazari had not met up with them at the agreed upon spot on Thursday evening.

While it isn't as good as finding the man himself, there is some hope now that at least some of his belongings have been found.

In speaking to The Guardian, search and rescue specialist Paul Luckin had some less hopeful things to say about Nazari's chances.

Luckin said that three of the 105 searches that he has helped New South Wales police involving people gone for extended periods of time have ended with them being found safely.

"Ultimately, his survival is going to depend on finding drinkable water and probably staying at that water," said the expert. "Whether you can find water or not depends on the terrain and how thick the vegetation is, it is well known that the vegetation in that particular area is very dense, very thick vegetation."

The hiker had gone down a very challenging path, the Hannels Spur Track.

Alltrails lists it as a hard path that spans over 15 miles long. It is steep (ove 5900 feet in elevation change) and has unclear markings, making it easier to get lost.

Despite the search going on for long, Luckin also wanted to empart how many resources go into making sure these searches are completed.

"They will often continue for quite a lot longer than I suggest that people might survive,” he said. “People sometimes think they will stop because it costs too much, but that is exactly the opposite of the case, they will search beyond what you would think a reasonable prospect for survival.”

One of the most important pieces of gear that Nazari was noted as missing, was a personal beacon. That has become a popular addition to hiking trips given that it can assist in being found much easier.

No matter how experienced of a hiker anyone is, it is important to be just as safe as possible.