The search is on for a former White House chef missing in New Mexico since June 13th after taking a hike in the mountainous Taos Ski Valley region.
Walter Scheib, 61, had recently relocated to the resort area from Florida. A 1979 C.I.A. grad, he had been the chef of both presidents Clinton and Bush and their esteemed guests, before devoting his culinary skills to charitable causes and writing.
New Mexican authorities say the search for the celebrated cook is currently focused on the Yerba Canyon trail where his vehicle was found parked after his girlfriend reported him missing.
However, a spokesperson for the Forest Service concedes that search-and-rescue teams have been hampered by high peaks, rugged terrain, and dense foliage, and still have no clue as to Scheib’s actual whereabouts.
The U.S. Air Force and New Mexico National Guard are therefore now aiding state and local agencies in their efforts to find Walter Scheib, which were resumed on Saturday morning.
He is believed to have vanished without a trace somewhere along a well-traveled canyon path that gradually snakes up a 3700-foot incline to the summit.
