Survivalist missing in Alaska

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- A Wisconsin survivalist who set out for a solo two-month trip in Northwest Alaska has gone missing, officials said.

Thomas Seibold, 31, arrived in southeast Alaska in June and made his way to the Northwest by September, the Anchorage Daily News reported. From there, he planned to stay in the backcountry through October and had booked a flight to Wisconsin for Thursday.

"He didn't make that flight," said Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen.

Seibold was supposed to have contacted someone by Nov. 11. When he failed to do so, the person reported him missing, said Tamarack Song, director of Talking Drum Outdoor School, where Seibold works.

Aerial searches of the area in the past week have turned up no sign of Seibold, Ipsen said.

Troopers located a cabin Tuesday near the Ambler River where Seibold stayed, but did not see any sign of Seibold or where he went, Ipsen said.

"It didn't look like he'd been there for weeks," Ipsen said.

Seibold was on a "personal quest" when he traveled in the outdoors, including his time in Alaska, Song said.

"He's had some questions about his life, where he was going, how he wanted to fulfill his life's dream. Part of it was the mystique and allure of Alaska, of course," Song said. "It's the same thing most young people are after in their lives. You know, 'Who am I? Where am I going in my life? What gives life its meaning?' Just the big questions.

"I'm confident that, if he's not injured and has adequate calories to keep himself going, he's going to be all right," he said.