Rangers seek missing camper

ASHFORD, Wash. – Rangers on Saturday searched Mount Rainier National Park for a Connecticut man who went missing during a camping trip.

Zachary Weston, 22, of Meriden, Conn., was last seen Wednesday when he dropped Julia Cosse of Seattle off in Ashford for a climbing trip.

Weston was scheduled to pick Cosse up Thursday after she completed the climb, but he never showed.

Cosse called 911 late Thursday after finding the car Weston was driving parked at the Comet Falls trailhead, park spokeswoman Patti Wold said.

“There were no signs of any problems other than he wasn’t with the car,” Wold said, noting that Cosse said Weston was thought to be reliable.

Wold said Weston had been camping and hiking in the park since June 22, either alone or with friends. He planned to leave the park Aug. 21.

“He was pretty comfortable hiking alone, too,” she said. Rangers don’t yet know what kind of supplies Weston had with him.