some very strange unexplained disappearances in the wilderness and odd deaths the Fresno

B on August the 8th 2007 wrote Search Haltz for Missing Woman in Yosemite. No sign of 80-year-old

hike are found after eight days scouring the park. After looking for eight days, searchers withdrew.

Well, the 80-year-old, but very fit and very experienced hiker, Otavina Bonaventura,

had disappeared after getting separated from her hiking party in Yosemite National Park.

When her family and friends had first heard of her disappearance, they'd not

been immediately too distressed, they described her as a fitness fanatic who loved a challenge.

Every morning, she went to the gym, they said, and just a year earlier, at the age of 79, she'd

ridden a bike across Iowa, a task that took an entire week. Her daughter Pam Sernovich told

reporters, she pushes herself like crazy, she's competitive with herself. Growing up, she was

described as a bit of a tomboy. She used to climb mountains, said her daughter. In fact, she

travelled internationally to climb in Peru, the Swiss Alps and Patagonia.

She was a retired computer programmer, and she was not known to be unwell, nor on any medication.

Although some newspapers claimed she suffered from memory loss, this has since been clarified.

Her memory was the same as any 80-year-old, no worse. On learning of her

stamina and fitness and strong character, the park ranger search for her had been expanded

geographically. Adrian Freeman, spokesman for the National Park, said, clearly, this person

breaks all expectations of age and physical condition.

The more we learned about her, the more respectful we became her abilities.

In fact, they expanded their search to 100 square miles as a result.

Far from fearing the worst, as they began their search,

they quickly changed this expectation to one of hopefulness.

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