COSTA RICA NEWS – It’s been a week since Cody Roman Dial, a native of Alaska, entered the 164 square mile Corcovado Nacional Park, southwest of the Osa Peninsula.
Initially it was said that the missing 27 year old college student – known to many in Alaska as Roman Jr. or R2 – was lost since July 20, but Carlos Herrera, operations officer for the Dirección Nacional de Socorros y Operaciones, said yesterday that Cody was last seen on July 22.
According to the Alaska Dispatch News, Cody is on sabbatical from his pursuit of a master’s degree in environmental science, growing up in Anchorage and the wilderness of the 49th state. He is, like his father, hugely experienced in surviving in the wilds.
Herrera confirmed that Cody first ventured into the Corcovado accompanied by a guide. Since last February, access to the park is only possible with a person accredited by the Área de Conservación Osa.
However, authorities says Cody entered the park alone for a second time, in the area known as El Tigre.
The fear is that the young man suffered an accident that is hindering his way out of the massive park. “This is a very rugged area with many animals, like snakes; the other possibility is that he has fallen into a ravine and suffered an injury,” said Herrera.
According to Herrera the overland expedition has concentrated in three sectors, all with difficult access and very limited communication with the outside.
“With information from the Fueza Publica (police), the Minae (Environment ministry) and the OIJ (Judicial investigators), we are following a route that could have been possibly taken by Cody: the mouth of the rivers Madrigal and Karate, in the area of El Tigre,” said Herrera.
In total, 23 rescue workers are taking part in the search and rescue efforts, members of the Unidad Especializada en Búsqueda y Rescate Terrestre.
Also, Servicio de Vigilancia Aérea del Ministerio de Seguridad Pública (Air Surveillance) has been conducting fly over of the area’s trails.
Sources: La Nacion (Costa Rica); Alaska Dispatch News (Alaska); Facebook
Venturing out alone is a vast wilderness is not the best policy, even for a seasoned veteran. Too much can happen. Perhaps his kayak became damaged or got away from him and he is simply unable to make good time through the dense jungle. Hopefully, this young man has at worst sustained a relatively minor injury that affects his mobility and has set up camp where he can wait for discovery by searchers or recover his ability to hike out. I hope that those searching for him have a pretty good idea of his planned route.
Referring to Dial as an “American” presumes that people from the US care only about the situations of their countrymen (that may be true, but why pander to them?). It is offensive to people from the rest of the Americas because it suggests that only people from the US are Americans. It would be better to call him an adventurer, explorer, naturalist, environmentalist, or some other term that does not refer to nationality.
This is an area that also has gold and unlicensed / rough gold miners (from some information I have heard) that most likely are armed; another reason not to be hiking in this area no matter how wilderness experienced you are. I hope he is OK however as time goes on the outlook is not positive.