Alan Douglas Visher Missing Since 1962 From a Hike in California's Kings Canyon National Park

Missing Person: Alan Douglas Visher

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased):

Alan Douglas Visher was last seen at approximately 2:00 PM on Wednesday, July 18th, 1962, at Dog Creek in Tehipite Valley, Kings Canyon National Park, California, after hiking with a Sierra Club group. He was part of a group of 50 hikers and was noticed missing at 7:00 PM when the group reached Simpson Meadow.

Anyone researching this case should note that his name was spelled "Allen" in a lot of newspaper journalism from the time of his disappearance. You need to research both Alan and Allen for keyword entry.

Last contact: Wednesday, July 18th, 1962, approximately 2:00 PM
Last location: Kings Canyon, California - Dog Creek, Tehipite Valley (area is described as east of Fresno in newspaper article, 18 miles north of Cedar Grove)

July 20, 1962. The Berkeley Gazette.

Age when Alan Douglas Visher disappeared: 12
DOB: Between July 19th, 1949, and July 18th, 1950
Sex: Male
Height in inches: 48–58
Weight in pounds (lbs): 75–100
BMI: 18.3–28.8 - Healthy to overweight based on the data that NamUs gives but the range is huge. In his pictures, he looks lean. Furthermore, hiking is a physical activity and I think that suggests reasonable fitness.
Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Hair color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinctive Features: No Information Entered
Link to Government Source: NamUs MP148200 (right-click to open)

Clothing Worn When Last Seen

Item	Description	Details	Source
Wide-brim straw hat	Straw hat	Wide-brimmed	NamUs
Shirt	Brownish shirt	No further details	NamUs
Jeans	Blue jeans	No further details	NamUs
Boots	Redwing boots	No further details	NamUs
Backpack	Backpack with sweater and food	No further details	Oakland Tribune, July 23, 1962

Unraveling the Mystery: Key Insights and Updates

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: August 21st, 2025

Alan Douglas Visher, a 12-year-old Caucasian male who vanished on Wednesday, July 18th, 1962, in Kings Canyon National Park, California, was last seen at approximately 2:00 PM that day. He was hiking with a Sierra Club group of 50 people near Dog Creek in Tehipite Valley. A part of a large group that included siblings and his mother, members of the hiking group noticed Alan missing by 7:00 PM when the group reached Simpson Meadow. 

He was last seen wearing a wide-brim straw hat, a brownish shirt, blue jeans, and Redwing boots. He was also carrying a backpack with a sweater and food. Despite a multi-agency search, no trace of Alan was found in the immediate aftermath of his disappearance. Nor has any trace of him turned up in the six decades since his disappearance.

The journalism from 1962 indicates that there was a large search for this missing youth. Rangers, helicopters, mountain climbers, and bloodhounds all assisted in search.

He went missing at an elevation of 6000 feet, meaning his chances of surviving just one night would be complicated. The hiking trip he was on was described as a 10-day trip, meaning the group would have the means to cope with night-time temperatures but Alan did not have much himself when he went missing. The youth had a sweater in his backpack but little more that would offer warmth with temperatures likely to dip to the 30s or 40s in that area (0C-10C) during the night. There was still a search going on as of July 22nd, 1962, but the journalism is pessimistic about his chances of being alive.

July 22nd, 1962. The Press Democrat.

Comparisons: Trenny Gibson and Others

In terms of similar cases, Alan Visher's disappearance reminded me the most of the disappearance of Trenny Gibson. She was a part of a large group hike when she went missing, just as Alan was.

I looked at numerous missing person cases a few years back where hiking was central to the person's disappearance. One of risk factors, of course, is a dangerous trail. Hiking alone is another significant factor and this can include hiking with a group  when the person separates from the group for a short time.

I thought that this must have happened with Alan Visher but scenarios are speculative. Reasons why someone might separate from a group during a hike has to do with pacing and the differences in hiking speed naturally creating separation between group members. Another reason might simply be someone going off trail for a short time to use the washroom.

But the mystery with Alan was that he was not found despite a huge search. That will bring in questions of abduction. This is a connection to the Trenny Gibson case, because abduction has been considered in conjunction with her disappearance despite the difficulties involved with abducting from a large group of hikers. It would be one on-the-spot abductor who is in the middle of a natural area and targets an isolated youth at the perfect time, seemingly with people all over the place.

There were rivers in the area and creeks. People who are known to have entered rivers before disappearing have remained lost for ages. I did wonder if that's what happened to Alan somehow. With little water, he would be dependent on waterflow to stay hydrated once lost and that creates the chance that he was swept away, which could explain why the large search failed.

I also think that missing hikers, who are facing hypothermia at night, put themselves in hiding spots inadvertently. Their main concern during the night would only be trying to stay warm -- not putting themselves in an obvious place to be found. I raised this point with the disappearance of Paula Jean Welden, a long-missing hiker in Vermont.

Furthermore, I watched a survival video years ago, the name of which now escapes me. But it recommended burying yourself in dirt to fight hypothermia during the night, if lost in the woods or a natural area. You can see how such an action could help prolong your struggle against the environment but it could also hide you from the people who are looking for you. If you succumbed to hypothermia after seeking an enclosed area or after burying yourself in foliage, then you would effectively have hidden yourself from your rescuers.

I think this missing person is only found through luck at this point. His Redwing boots are the item most likely to stand the test of time, in my opinion. But anyone finding them might not recognize the relevance unfortunately.

Grok's depiction of Redwing boots from the era and place.