HELENA – The Montana Army National Guard planned to fly about two dozen people to a remote wilderness area Monday to search for a former Marine who went missing a year ago.
The planned two-day search comes several weeks after a troop of Boy Scouts found clothing that could be linked to the man.
Noah Pippin was last seen on Sept. 15, 2010, just south of Salt Mountain in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. People who had contact with him said the 30-year-old didn’t have maps and was ill-prepared for an extended time in the wilderness. He was carrying a .38-caliber revolver and a backpack and told fellow hikers he planned to hike along the Chinese Wall.
Boy Scouts located some dark pieces of clothing in late August in the Moose Creek area, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said.
The search has been delayed due to forest fires burning in the area.
The Guard planned to use a Chinook helicopter to transport the search team, which was to include U.S. Forest Service employees, to the area.
“This is monumental that two federal agencies are lending a hand,” Dutton said, adding that motorized vehicles are generally not allowed in wilderness areas.
Pippin was a Marine who served in the Middle East. After returning home, he became an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department and later served with the California National Guard.