13. STACY ARRAS
“The Stacy Arras disappearance…
It was in the afternoon on July 17, 1981, when a group of six, plus Arras and her father, rode into Sunrise High Sierra Camp on horseback. The camp sits 9,400 feet above sea level and is regarded for its historic significance, being the final stop in Yosemite’s ‘mountain chalet’ loop. It was built in 1961 to make backcountry an alluring destination for tourists, offering stunning wilderness vistas but also creature comforts like showers and reasonably comfy beds.
Arras told her father that she wanted to photograph a nearby lake. It wasn’t terribly far, just over a bluff. He declined to accompany his daughter, 14 at the time, but an elderly man from their group would tag along. At some point, the 77-year-old man grew tired and sat down to rest. Arras, seemingly determined to reach the water, trekked onward.
Back at the camp, the group’s tour guide remembered noticing her from afar. She was ‘standing on a rock about 50 yards south of the trail.’ According to a summary of her official cold case file, that was the last time anyone saw Arras or the last time anyone is known to have seen her. She vanished that day, without a trace, leaving only her camera lens behind.”
