A diverse army works toward common goal searching the mountians


By BILL SNIFFIN -- Wyoming State Journal, Lander

We Care for our own.

That could be the motto of the hundreds of people who have been searching the rugged Wind River Mountains south of Lander for Amy Woe Bechtel. The 24 year-old champion marathon runner has been missing since July 24 when she was doing a high altitude running workout near Sawmill Creek off the Loop Road.

Her search has brought forth a diverse group of people with a simple common bond: find Amy.

There are tree huggers and tree cutters. There are mountain bike riders and mountain motorbike riders. There are horseback riders and ATV riders. There are ardent environmentalists and ardent multiple use advocates. There are NOLS staffs who spend most of the summer in the mountains. They are joined by townsfolk who seldom see more of the mountains except from their car windows. They are all there together, working together toward the common goal. That goal is to find one of our own - a precious young woman - who has disappeared from our midst.

All these folks get together at the command center to share a cup of coffee and discuss strategy of how to find this small woman who has disappeared.

What no one wants to speculate on is that she has been the victim of foul play. People want to talk about an injury or even a mountain lion, but nobody wants to admit that there are evil people out there who would snatch a young defenseless girl in OUR mountains. We want to believe these things happen in L.A., New York City or Miami... but, please, not here.

Finding Amy is like looking for a needle in a giant haystack. We all know how big our backcountry is - but only when you start a search like this do you realize just how vast it can be.

We are thankful that so many people have taken this cause on as their own. Thousands of hours are being expended by these good people who are trying to rescue a young woman most of them hardly know.

I know Amy Wroe Bechtel. She is a sweet little gal with lots of grit. She is a champion runner and a wonderful photographer. She took photos of several events for the Journal last year and we hope to use her considerable talents again. She ran well in the Boston Marathon in 1996.

She married a fine young man named Steve Bechtel 13 months ago. She is cute with a beauty that is more than skin deep. She smiles a big, shy smile that shows off her dimples. She is truly a wonderful person. Amy loves Lander. And she loves our Wind River Mountains.

Many people got to know her through her work at the Wind River Fitness Center, the Sweetwater Grille and the Wild Iris Mountain Sports store.

People all over Wind River Country are hoping and praying that Amy will be found safe. We care for our own.