Bryan Conkling (1975 - 2015)

Died 2015 at about age 40 in New Mexico, U.S.A.

Biography

Body of hiker in Sandias confirmed to be Rio Rancho man By ELISE KAPLAN, Albuquerque Journal staff writer

As search and rescue crews scoured La Luz Trail in the Sandia Mountains looking for Bryan Conkling, his friends said they’d held out hope that he’d turn up and join in the search – just as he had many times before.

Bryan Conkling was climbing near "the thumb" on La Luz trail. He was found dead in the same area Wednesday after a two-day search and rescue mission.

“Every single one of us expected that he would inadvertently join his own search crew at some point,” said Ashley Young, a longtime friend. “We expected him to pop up and say, ‘Hey who are you looking for?’ That was a real possibility until it was over.”

The search was over early Wednesday when crews working overnight found 40-year-old Conkling dead about two miles down from the top of La Luz Trail, said Sgt. Elizabeth Armijo, a spokeswoman for the New Mexico State Police. La Luz is a popular but strenuous eight-mile hike from the foothills to the crest of the Sandia Mountains.

It’s the third search this year near La Luz Trail that’s ended in tragedy. In late March, Maya Spencer, 17, slipped on snow and ice and fell off a cliff while hiking with friends. Two months later, Brittany Johnson, 24, fell to her death to the west of the crest parking lot.

And the removal of Conkling’s body was hampered Wednesday when a second search and rescue mission was called for yet another hiker.

Armijo said a man in his 70s was reported missing after hiking from the Ellis trailhead near the crest Tuesday night. As of late Wednesday, he was still missing.

Rough terrain

Conkling’s girlfriend reported him missing late Sunday when he didn’t return from an overnight trip up La Luz Trail, Armijo said. State Police, fire crews, search and rescue volunteers and family and friends assisted with the search. The canine team continued working overnight and found his body in a steep rocky area a quarter-mile from the trail around 1 a.m. Wednesday, she said.

“It’s extremely high elevation, over 9,000 feet,” Armijo said. “It’s extremely rugged, very steep terrain. A group of State Police officers brought the body down. It was difficult to see their footing and very slow-going.”

Conkling’s father, Mark Conkling, said his son was an experienced mountaineer and would go hiking when he wanted to clear his head. He said he had his rock-climbing gear with him, but they don’t believe he used it.

“He often went to the mountains,” Mark Conkling said. “We weren’t very concerned, he would be gone for a couple of days but that was how he was. By Sunday night, there was no word. They tried to ping his phone (using GPS), but his battery was dead.”

Bryan Conkling’s girlfriend called the search and rescue team, and they got started Monday.

On Monday, Conkling’s vehicle was found at La Luz trailhead, and his belongings were found on the trail that afternoon, Armijo said ‘Completely selfless’

Bryan Conkling was a former paramedic with a Care Flight helicopter crew out of Santa Fe but had recently been pursuing other interests, his father said. “He took some classes in Boulder,” he said. “He was traveling around, seeing friends, out looking at life.”

Several of his friends and former co-workers from Care Flight and the Fire Department gathered near the Sandia Crest on Wednesday morning waiting for news and sharing memories.

“One time we landed down next to the river near Los Alamos, and he just took off and went a couple miles to find this gentleman” who had been injured, said Virginia Williams, who used to serve as pilot for Conkling’s crew. “I waited for a while and finally went to see if they’re OK. Then here they come – all the Los Alamos firefighters and Bryan right at the front carrying this guy.”

Friends described Bryan Conkling as a calm head in an emergency but a passionate advocate for justice, health care and the wilderness. They said he would go out of his way to help anyone he could.

“He’d often come across people and be the guy who just literally carried someone out of a trail and then kept on running,” Young said. “That’s his character – completely selfless.”

Mark Conkling and his wife, Patricia Conkling, plan to set up a foundation called Healing the Healer’s Heart to honor Bryan’s dream of treating post-traumatic stress disorder in first responders.

“Bryan thought it was a horribly undertreated condition and wanted so desperately to help other people,” Mark Conkling said. “It wouldn’t surprise me that images (of trauma he’d seen) were troubling for him as well.”

Search continues for missing hiker in the Sandia Mountains ABQnews Seeker Albuquerque News News By Elise Kaplan / Journal Staff Writer

A search and rescue mission will continue Wednesday after a man was reported missing near the Sandia Crest Sunday night, according to a release by the New Mexico State Police.

Bryan Conkling, 40, of Rio Rancho had planned an overnight hike on the La Luz Trail over the weekend and when he didn’t return Sunday his family reported him missing, said Sgt. Elizabeth Armijo, a spokeswoman for the State Police.

Conkling’s vehicle was found at the La Luz trail head and his belongings were found in the area of the trail near his last known location, Armijo said. Search and Rescue volunteers, law enforcement and fire department crews, canine teams and civilian volunteers continued the search on the ground Tuesday and the United States Air Force assisted with air support, she said.

“The rugged terrain has made search efforts difficult and tedious,” Armijo said. “The terrain consists of jagged inclines with deep canyons and rocky peaks. The dense vegetation in the search area has limited the effectiveness of aerial searches.”

Conkling is approximately six feet two inches tall, weighs 175 pounds, and has brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a black shirt, a gray jacket and black pants and may also have a blue jacket, Armijo said. Anyone who sees him is asked to call State Police at (505) 841-9256.

Sources

• Albuquerque Journal (Newspaper), Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A., September 2, 2015

• Albuquerque Journal (Newspaper), Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A., September 2, 2015