19 Year Old Bailey Meola & Sydney Schumacher from Seattle, WA Still Missing in Nepal Trekking the Langtang Valley Trail

Two teens from Seattle, Washington, 19 year old Bailey Meola and Sydney Schumacher, have been missing since April 25, 2015 in Nepal. According to the family, an anthropologist reported seeing the two on April 24, just one day before a 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal and aftershocks destroyed nearby villages.  The two girls had been trekking the Langtang Valley trail; however, on Tuesday, the family received news that the girls are not in the village, Kyanjin Gumba, where it had been reported that there were no known survivors.

The death toll from the earthquake in Nepal has risen to more than 4,600 — and many more people are unaccounted for, including two teens from Seattle.

The Meola and Schumacher families are staying optimistic that they will find their 19-year-old daughters, Bailey Meola and Sydney Schumacher.

The two girls had been trekking the Langtang trail. On Tuesday, they got news that the girls are not in the village, Kyanjin Gumba, where there are known survivors.

The teens had just graduated from Garfield High School and were taking an around-the-world trip, with a stop in Nepal.

Seattle teenage trekkers among the missing in Nepal.

Both young women are described as experienced hikers, who began exploring the outdoors when they were toddlers. The teens are trained in first aid and CPR, their parents said.

“The odds of them being injured are very high if they were in Langtang, but people have survived in that area. They’ve gotten out of the avalanche,” said Rachelle Brown, Bailey’s mother. “We’re just very optimistic. We think our girls have the resources. They have the skills. They have the experience.”

Both girls are traveling around the world after graduating from Seattle’s Garfield High School in 2014. Meola started her trip in Thailand earlier this year, also visiting Singapore, Cambodia, and Laos. She wanted to take a “gap year” and explore the world before heading to college, her parents said.

The families have turned to social media for help, hoping for word of the girls’ safety through Twitter or other forums. They’ve been using a Facebook page for people missing in the Langtang Valley, along with a Google spreadsheet.