Family of lost Irish hiker searches for him near Idyllwild

The family of an Irish man who disappeared while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail just west of the Coachella Valley is looking for clues and for help.

David O’Sullivan, 26, vanished eight months ago and his family has not given up hope.

“Going on like this is quite difficult,” said Carmen O’Sullivan, David’s mother. Carmen and her husband Con O’Sullivan flew in from Ireland for a week to help with the search near Idyllwild, David’s last known location.

For about five months, the O’Sullivan thought their son was hiking the 2,600-mile long trail and was just staying off the grid.“I was hoping that he was on the trail and doing his own thing and for some reason not keeping contact with anyone,” Carmen O’Sullivan said.

David traveled from Ireland to find himself before heading back to college. He trained and studied before attempting the massive hike. In September when he should have been done, he never called home.

The last place anyone saw him was in Idyllwild back in early April.

The O’Sullivans have been going around town and found some new clues. David had stayed at Idyllwild Lodge, he visited the post office and spent time in the library presumably using the WiFi for his Kindle.

The family hopes someone will remember David’s distinct backpack.“Beyond his blue bag, we can’t know much because he actually changed some of his gear after he arrived. He found that some of his gear was a bit heavy so we are not sure what he had other than the blue bag,” Con O’Sullivan said.

There have been a couple of witnesses who have come forward with information of a possible sighting, but nothing concrete. That’s the real break the family is hoping for.

“If they even met him on the trail somewhere further up that would be just brilliant because we would have another point to search because police would search again,” Carmen said.

A group of volunteers from Irish Outreach San Diego will be searching the woods near Idyllwild this weekend. They are looking for more volunteers, contact information can be found here.

Anyone with any information about David O’Sullivan is asked to contact the Riverside County Sheriffs Department Hemet sheriff’s station at 951-791-3400.