PIKE NATI0NAL FOREST — About 25 members of the Douglas County Search and Rescue team and family members of Carolyn Gjendem set out at 8 a.m. this morning under sunny skies to continue the search for the missing woman.

Gjendem, 52, of Castle Rock, was reported missing last Thursday and her abandoned car was found Saturday at the end of Jackson Creek Road. It is believed she left for a hike. A brief search was made Saturday evening after the car was found.

Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy Cocha Heyden said due to melting snow and substantial mud, it was decided to wait until daylight so no searchers would be in danger.

Nearly 50 rescuers from Douglas County, assisted by members of the Arapahoe Rescue Patrol, El Paso County Search and Rescue, and Douglas County Park officers, combed the area yesterday using two search dog teams but found no signs of Gjendem.

"This terrain is difficult at best," Paul Miller, a member of the search and rescue team, said this morning.

The heavily wooded area still has a couple of feet of snow in places and is dominated by large cliffs.

The searchers set out this morning on all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles in hopes of finding footprints.