What Every Traveler Fears

It can happen to anyone, even the most experienced traveler. One of Lonely Planet's most well-traveled writers, Clem Lindenmayer, has been found dead on a Chinese mountainside, three months after he was reported missing.

Mr Lindenmayer, 47, had set out to climb Mount Gongga, in a remote area of south-west China, telling his family that he expected to complete a circuit in six days. When they failed to hear from him, his relatives posted messages on travellers' websites. China's official Xinhua news agency reported yesterday that villagers had found his body last Thursday.

Mr Lindenmayer's family became alarmed when they had not heard from him by the end of May. One of his relatives posted a missing notice on Thorn Tree, a Lonely Planet internet forum. She described him as "a 47-year-old, very fit Australian male with a ready smile", and "a seasoned traveller with many years' trekking experience".

As fears grew for his safety, the family offered a reward of more than £1,000 for information that could help locate him. It was advertised on numerous websites. Early last month his brother, Peter, and nephew, Tim, left Australia for China, to conduct their own search.

His father, Graeme, said: "He was going to go for a walk for about six days around the mountain. He was just going to do what was a pretty standard hike." He added: "It's known to be a trip where you need experience and common sense before you undertake it. This area is an extension of the Himalayas."

Xinhua said rescuers searching for Mr Lindenmayer had found a body earlier, believed to be that of a Japanese mountaineer who disappeared 26 years ago.