OU Professor goes missing while hiking in Nevada

A University of Oklahoma professor is missing in Nevada.

Ron Bolen was last heard from Tuesday afternoon. He had reached Boundary Peak in Inyo National Forest around 3 p.m.

“My dad is very good about communicating, so he communicates before he climbs, when he reaches the summit and when he lands,” said Ron’s daughter, Meredith.

Bolen is an avid climber and is well-traveled. He was planning to meet a group of 12 people for another climb after finishing up at Boundary Peak.

“He had driven me to South Dakota and he had climbed to the highest point in South Dakota and North Dakota and Montana,” said Bolen.

Ron’s daughter says the family contacted the authorities Wednesday morning.

The Esmerelda County Sheriff’s Department is leading a team to search, along with the US National Forestry Service.

One helicopter is also being used to search.

“It’s quite tall. It’s 13,000 feet, 200 square miles around,” said Bolen.

As the hours continue to pass, the family is growing more desperate.

“You can only go three days without water, so it’s a pretty important day and a pretty important time. He had a lot of water with him, but it’s a hard climb…The assumption is that he might have slipped and fell down and gotten off the trail and maybe he tried to use his phone to get back to the trail…that’s the hope,” said Bolen.

KFOR contacted the local sheriff’s department, which wasn’t able to give an update at this time because the sheriff is actively searching for Ron.

If you have any information or can help, call the Esmerelda County Sheriff’s Department at 755-485-6393.