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SEATTLE (A)) — Crews aided by dog teams, specially equipped helicopters and sunny skies searched for a fifth day Friday for John Arum, an experienced mountain climber missing in North Cascades National Park.

However, park spokeswoman Kerry Olson said no further sign had been found of the 49-year-old Arum — a Seattle environmental attorney and son of Top Rank Promotions boxing promoter Bob Arum — since his day pack was discovered Thursday afternoon on the north flank of Storm King mountain, about 85 miles northeast of Seattle.

The search began Monday after Arum failed to return from a solo weekend trip to climb the 8,815-foot mountain, which family members said was part of his goal of reaching the summit of the 100 highest peaks in the state.

The small fanny pack was found at about the 8,000-foot level, in an area that suggested it fell because the terrain is so rough, Olson said earlier. She said Arum’s larger backpack was found a day earlier on a trail about 900 feet below the summit on the less rugged south side, and searchers think it was deliberately left there with his climbing gear removed.

About 20 people, some using trained search dogs, were out Friday, along with four helicopters, two of them King County sheriff’s aircraft with heat-seeking equipment. Counting coordinators and support workers, about 50 people were involved in the search, Olson said.

Friday’s weather was “fabulous,” she said, with temperatures in the 80s and clear skies. However, the National Weather Service forecast that clouds will move in with a chance of rain Saturday and temperatures dipping into the 40s that night.

Although the helicopters can’t fly in heavy overcast, the ground effort will go on, Olson said.

“We will continue searching as long as there is ground to be searched,” she said.

Earlier this week, Bob Arum left Los Angeles to join park rangers coordinating the effort. He had been on a three-city tour promoting the HBO-televised Nov. 13 fight between WBO welterweight (147 pounds) champion Manny Pacquaio and Antonio Margarito for the WBC’s vacant junior middleweight (154 pounds) crown at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. His stepson, Todd duBoef, took over the tour that also stopped in New York and Dallas.

DuBoef said he spoke with the elder Arum on Friday.

“I sense from the tone in his voice, he sounds good, I think he wants to hear what I’m doing,” duBoef said. “I think it’s the business side that’s keeping him kind of motivated — how’s it going, how was New York and that kind of stuff — so it’s just tough, it’s tough on all of us.”

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Four helicopters, two with infrared capabilities for detecting body heat, have been added to the search of the North Cascades Range of Seattle, Wash., where John Arum, the 49-year-old son of Top Rank’s Bob Arum, was reported missing as of Sunday during a weekend hiking and camping trip.

The absence of John Arum, whose backpack was found on Wednesday at the 7,400-foot level of the 8,500 peak Storm King Mountain, forced his 78-year-old father to leave a Los Angeles press conference on Tuesday that was the start of a three-city press tour promoting the Manny Pacquaio-Antonio Margarito fight on Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium.

Fifty personnel from the National Park Service, Chelan Mountain Rescue, Stehekin Community and the King County Sheriff’s Office are now searching for the John Arum.

In addition on Thursday afternoon, a waist-style day pack was found during an aerial search of Storm King Mountain. The pack was found on the north side of the mountain in steep, cliffy terrain at an elevation of 8000 feet. National Park Rangers have confirmed that the day pack belongs to John Arum.

“We are getting two additional helicopters, and one of those helicopters is equipped with a forward-looking infrared [FLIR,] camera. And the forward-looking infrared cameras are able to detect heat,” said Kerry Olson, a spokeswoman for the North Cascades National Park.

FLIR is an imaging technology that detects thermal energy and can help find missing persons if they are in areas that can not be seen.

“So, often, the helicopter’s infrared are used on fires to see where there are hot spots. But they can also be used for search and rescue because they will pick up the heat of the human body,” said Olson, who expects Thursday’s search to go on until dark and then be restarted in the morning.

“The searchers thought that this was a great tool to aid them in the search,” said Olson. “The helicopters with the FLIR are scheduled to go up to the summit and to the North side this afternoon.”

On Friday, fair weather is expected for continued ground and air searching. The search will again be narrowed based on the location of where the day pack was found. Canine teams will also aid in the search on Friday.

Arum’s family issued a statement through Olson on Thursday:

“John’s family is deeply grateful for the efforts taken by the dedicated members of the National Park Service, King County Sheriff’s Office, and the volunteers from Chelan Mountain Rescue and the Stehekin Community that are working tirelessly on the search and rescue operation. Their professionalism and commitment gives us continued hope. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and respect for our privacy at this time.”

Olson said that searchers believe that John Arum meant to leave his backpack at the 7,400-foot location to lighten his load, adding that John Arum had apparently removed the gear necessary for making the final climb of 900 feet to the top of the mountain.

On Wednesday, Olson said that five independent teams, for a total of 20 park rangers, searched for Arum.

An avid, expert hiker and climber as well as an environmental attorney in Seattle, John Arum was expected to arrive home Sunday after hiking the Storm King Peak. Arum has been on a quest to climb the 100 highest summits in Washington and has 18 more summits to complete.

Rangers searching the North Cascades Range of Seattle, Wash., for John Arum, the 49-year-old missing son of Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum (pictured above), found a backpack at the 7,400-foot level of the 8,500-foot peak Storm King Mountain on Wednesday evening that was later determined to belong to John Arum.

Reported missing since Sunday while on a weekend camping and hiking trip, John Arum’s absence was made known to his 78-year-old father on Tuesday, forcing him to leave a Los Angeles press conference that was the start of a three-city press tour touting the Manny Pacquaio-Antonio Margarito fight on Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium.

“Yesterday, in the late afternoon, a ground searcher who was at the 7,400-foot elevation level did find a backpack. The backpack was about 900 feet below the summit of Storm King Mountain,” said Kerry Olson, a spokeswoman for the North Cascades National Park.

“We were able to confirm that the backpack did belong to our missing climber,” said Olson. “They picked up the backpack and they brought it to his family, and his family was able to confirm that those were his belongings.”

Olson said that searchers believe that John Arum meant to leave his backpack at that location, determining that he meant to lighten his load. Also, Olson said that John Arum had apparently removed the gear necessary for making the final climb.

“There was gear inside of the backpack, but not all of it. It was believed that the backpack was intentionally placed at that location along the climbing route to the summit of Storm King Mountain,” said Olson, adding that the backpack was found at about 5 p.m.

“The backpack was set up along the route. It didn’t look like it had fallen anywhere. The backpack was set up upright,” said Olson. “It’s not uncommon that climbers will take out their essential climbing gear for summiting but leave their heavier weight behind so that they can go to the summit faster. They just take their critical gear for the final approach.”

On Wednesday, Olson said that five independent teams, for a total of 20 park rangers, as well as helicopters searched for Arum. The procedure will continue today, said Olson.

“After the backpack was discovered, they continued to search and did not find any more clues yesterday,” said Olson. “So today, they’re continuing with both air and ground searches, but in a more concentrated area, which is the summit. So there will be air searches of the summit on the North side of the mountain, and in the approach up the mountain and the areas surrounding it.”

John Arum, an avid hiker and environmental attorney in Seattle, was expected to arrive home Sunday after hiking the Storm King Peak, according to friends and family. An expert hiker and climber, Arum has been on a quest to climb the 100 highest summits in Washington and has “18 left to complete,” said Top Rank’s Dena duBoef, Arum’s step sister.