Man’s trek to Pacific turns cold after call near Clearlake

A Northern California man who told a loved one he planned to walk all the way to the Pacific Ocean has gone missing, prompting a search by authorities in Lake County.

Albert Herschler, 38, of Olivehurst—a small Yuba County town about 40 miles north of Sacramento—was reported missing to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office on May 21, officials said in a statement.

Herschler reportedly left his home roughly three weeks ago, telling his family he intended to make the long trek west to the ocean. The last known contact came on May 18, when Herschler phoned his grandmother and said he was “20 miles away from Clearlake” and in need of water, according to the sheriff’s office.

Since that call, Herschler’s phone has gone straight to voicemail and no one has heard from him, the agency said.

Lake County is a rugged, rural region of Northern California, with limited infrastructure connecting its small towns and vast open spaces. Clearlake, one of the county’s largest cities, sits on the eastern edge of Clear Lake—the state’s largest natural freshwater lake.

Herschler is described as a white male, approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing about 160 pounds. He has a shaved head, a reddish-blonde goatee, and blue eyes. His grandmother told deputies he was last seen wearing a black shirt.

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Anyone with information about Herschler’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch at (707) 263-2690.

The sheriff’s office has not disclosed any confirmed sightings or evidence of his location since May 18.

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