Senator Mark Udall’s Brother Reported Missing

According to a story released earlier today by the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, the brother of Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Udall of Colorado has been reported missing in the Wyoming backcountry.

61-year-old James “Randy” Udall of Carbondale was scheduled to have completed a solo, week-long hiking outing in the Wind River Range of Western Wyoming on Wednesday. The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office says Udall was reported overdue on Friday.

The Sentinel’s website reported a quote from a prepared statement released from Senator Udall’s office. The quote said, “Mark is concerned about his brother’s whereabouts and he continues to closely monitor the situation. He and his family hope for the best.”

The Sublette Sheriff’s office said in a Facebook posting that a search for Randy Udall is being conducted with the help of Tip Top Search and Rescue, Teton County Search and Rescue, the U.S. Forest Service and Sublette County Emergency Management. An Air National Guard helicopter and one contracted by the Sublette Sheriff’s Office also are involved in the search.

The Sentinel reports that the search area is about 225 square miles. Randy Udall reportedly began his trip at the Elkhart Park trailhead outside Pinedale, in the central part of the Wind River Range. Randy Udall reportedly has 30 years of experience hiking in the Wind River area.

The Udall brothers have both undertaken numerous adventures in the mountains, both together and separately. The Sentinel reports that James Owens, a spokesman for the senator, called the men “both very experienced outdoorsmen, for sure.”

The Sublette Sheriff’s Office says Randy Udall is 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, and may walk with a limp due to a prior hip injury.