Efforts double in national park

The crew searching for a missing Staunton man in Shenandoah National Park nearly doubled Thursday but turned up no new clues.

Earl F. Funk, 50, of Staunton, was last seen by a friend in the Cedar Mountain area Monday afternoon, an area he knew extremely well, long-time neighbors said Thursday.

Neighbors said family and friends are waiting and praying. Those who are able are continuing to search with rescue crews.

“He knew the mountain very well,” Funk’s ex-wife, Patti, said. “He’s been going up there since he was 12. I’m surprised he hasn’t come out.”

Efforts to reach immediate family members were unsuccessful.

Funk was with a friend looking for ginseng root on private property and national park land near Walnut Level Road in the Cedar Mountain area Monday, Albemarle Sheriff J.E. “Chip” Harding said. Ginseng is not allowed to be removed from the park, officials said.

Funk, who park officials said has an undetermined medical condition that limits his mobility, was driving an ATV. He dropped off his friend and arranged a time to meet but never returned. The friend later found the ATV.

As many as eight friends looked for Funk that night and Tuesday morning before calling the Albemarle Police Department.

The Albemarle Sheriff’s Office joined the search Tuesday afternoon and a search team of about 40 people moved into Shenandoah National Park on Wednesday.

“The terrain is very, very treacherous,” Harding said, describing how searchers negotiated cliffs that fall off 75 or more feet.

About 70 people searched Thursday with the assistance of 10 GPS units recently obtained by a $3,000 Shenandoah National Park Trust grant.

The crew included park employees, the sheriff’s office, police, search dogs from Virginia State Police K-9 unit and Dogs East Rescue Dogs, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and Appalachian Search and Rescue crews, according to a park news release.

Beck-Herzog explained park policy requires volunteers to be trained in search techniques, especially in consideration of the terrain. Efforts do not depend on sheer number of volunteers, but on technique, she said. The secluded search area also challenges crews to first travel a three-mile dirt road accessible only by four-wheel drive vehicles.

The most recent large-scale rescue effort in the park occurred in April, lasting 11 days, Beck-Herzog said. Smaller searches are common, but are usually concluded quickly. Large searches were conducted in January and October 2007. Before those searches, the park had not conducted such an effort since 2003.

Funk has brown hair and green eyes, stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs approximately 145 pounds. He was last seen wearing dark pants and a light shirt. Anyone with any information about Funk is asked to call 1-800-732-0911.

The Media General News Service contributed to this report.