PLAINVILLE — Authorities said they plan to continue looking for a missing hiker who was last seen near the Metacomet Trail in Plainville over the weekend.
Police and fire crews searched Monday for Arthur Williams, 64, along the 62-mile-long trail that runs through the central part of the state.
"We're just thinking he went out for a day hike and he slipped and he fell somewhere because it is quite dangerous out there, there's a lot of tough terrain," Plainville Police Lt. Peterson said.
Tim Kablick of Wolcott said when he heard the news about a missing hiker, he went out on his own to search for him, but did not have any luck.
"As I hiker I would hope that if I’m up there somewhere in the woods and slipped and fell, someone else who enjoys the hike would be out there looking as well," Kablick said.
He said he was on the trails off Route 6 in Farmington for a few hours and they were icy.
"The back side of the hills were all mud, it's steep, it's rocky," he said.
Farmington police also searched Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington. The Connecticut State Police helicopter was also called in to assist Plainville police in the operation.
Police said Williams was last seen in Plainville on Saturday afternoon and is considered a missing person. On Saturday night, shortly before midnight, Plainville police got a call from his family, who said that he had not returned home after leaving 12 hours earlier.
Police said Williams was last spotted heading west on North Mountain Road in New Britain near the area of Pinnacle Mountain near the Metacomet Trail System. Family members told police that Williams was last seen wearing jeans, a camouflage jacket and a black backpack.
"He was carrying some walking poles possibly, and there was some evidence into the ground that someone was there hiking, there was a small little fire that someone had there going that was put out but not sure if that was him," Lt. Peterson said.
Police said the search will resume Tuesday morning if Williams has not been located. They don't suspect foul play.
"The biggest concern if he did fall down and he’s stuck somewhere, we need to get to him because this is gonna be his third night outside overnight and the temperatures do get kinda low at night," Lt. Peterson said.
Lt. Peterson asked that the public avoid taking part in their own searches because it hinders their efforts with the K9 units.
Kablick said whenever he goes out he is fully prepared with water, food, flashlights, an emergency blanket, and a charged phone. He recommends if you ever hit the trails, you do the same and you let somebody know where you will be.