Hikers find Steve Fossett's ID, belongings

By Jim Christie

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hikers in a remote area of California have found clothing and aviation identification cards belonging to millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett, presumed dead after his plane went missing a year ago, police said on Wednesday.

Fossett's family was monitoring developments as authorities in the area where the items were found -- the eastern Sierras between Yosemite National Park and the Nevada border -- rushed to set up a command post to search for wreckage of his plane.

"I am hopeful that this search will locate the crash site and my husband's remains," Peggy Fossett, the missing adventurer's widow, said in a statement.

Local officials provided few details of the personal items recovered by the hikers.

"There was some various paper identification found and some clothing," said Shannon Kendall, a spokeswoman for the Mono County Sheriff's Department. "We have a ground team heading out to search the area."

Kendall told Reuters that wreckage from the small airplane Fossett was piloting when he disappeared was not located with the identification and a sweatshirt discovered by hikers.

They came across the items in a remote part of neighboring Madera County linked by the mountainous area's only road to Mono County.

"It's very rugged alpine terrain," said Lt. Michael Salvador of the Madera County Sheriff's Office. "You hike in or you fly in (by helicopter)."