Park search scaled back

Glacier National Park officials said Tuesday that the search for a missing hiker will be scaled back.

Yi-Jien Hwa, 27, from Kentucky and Malaysia, has been missing in Glacier's backcountry since Aug. 11. A search has been under way since Aug. 19.

Pending the discovery of information that might explain Hwa's disappearance, the search and rescue operation launched nearly two weeks ago will be significantly reduced.

"Reluctantly, after more than 2,500 hours of searching in difficult terrain and challenging conditions, the time has come to acknowledge that we are unlikely to solve this mystery without additional information," Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright said in a prepared statement.

After Hwa was reported missing by his family, the park sent teams of hikers and professional alpine searchers into the most forbidding areas of its backcountry to look for him or for evidence that he had passed through areas he planned to hike.

Hwa had drawn up an itinerary for himself and his wife that encompassed nearly 100 miles of hikes as well as climbs and descents of more than 14,000 feet. His wife did not accompany him because of a family emergency.

Over the Labor Day weekend, a couple of search teams continued to scour locations adjacent to areas that were identified as most likely to have been hiked by Hwa, assuming that he had followed his plan as outlined in his backcountry permit.

Human-scent dog teams also were used. No new clues turned up in those efforts.