WATCH: Father of missing Easter Ross man Finn Creaney (32) offers heartfelt thanks for support and admits rollercoaster of emotions as time goes on
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THE father of a missing Easter Ross hiker has acknowledged the "mind-boggling puzzle of his disappearance" but voiced hope he will see him again.
Finn Creaney (32) was last seen around 2.15pm on Friday, March 25 at Altnaharra in Sutherland near Loch Naver.
The married father of one, an experienced bushcraft enthusiast, was then posted missing on March 28 after failing to turn up.
Finn, of the Tain area, was said by his wife to be the happiest he has ever been at the time of his disappearance leaving loved ones desperately looking for answers.
His dad Mark, who has been searching for him with friends, admitted the mixed emotions that come with the search and spoke of the huge gratitude he feels towards supporters who have chipped in to a fund to help maintain the hunt and shared positive energy.
In an update video, he said: "We are just picking off areas and making sure he is not in those areas. It is a hard double-edged thing where you are looking for Finn and some days when we don't Finn it's a good day because...we want to know where Finn is and we want to know what happened but we don't want to find him here because it has been six months and the consequences of finding him here are really kind of tragic.
"Every day I don't find him I think it's a good day and I hope that he's somewhere else and that he's together. It can be hard bit I try to have a positive mindset – all the people up here have a positive mindset and we are just hoping he isn't here but not being psychic we have to cover the ground.
"That's what we basically do and we'll keep doing it and we'll keep going up until we get a result one way or the other and just hope that Finn comes through the door out of the blue and wonders what all the fuss is about and we can all hold him and let him go again.
"But until that day happens we'll be up here and with your help and support we can stay here longer and I am super grateful for everybody who has helped us out. I can't say that enough and I'll keep saying it.
"The feedback I've had and the positivity I've had from everybody – from estate owners, foresters, crofters, estate workers to members of the public, friends, family have all been behind us 100 per cent and people who have sent good energy and contributed to the go fund me has all helped to give us the energy to keep going up here and keep looking for Finn and looking for an answer to this mind-boggling puzzle of his disappearance.
"Keep in there and hopefully I'll give you another update in a wee bit of time and with better news hopefully."
Can you help share a poster?
The Search for Finn Creaney page is looking to enlist people who want to help find him.
It posted: "We have been distributing posters but to make places get covered faster we are making packs for designated places in Tain and surrounding area. The packs consist of x10 and x5 laminated posters to put in your window, shops, car windows, anywhere you can think DO IT! It could be what ends this nightmare and gets Finn home!"
They are currently available at Tain Post Office and Far Fetched in Inverness.
It added: "Do you have a shop front or somewhere we can put a laminated poster up? OR somewhere we can store the packs for people to pick up and help distribute? Let us know. It's important everyone knows Finn is still MISSING."
To contribute to the JustGiving page helping to fund the search, see here.
