WY WY - Austin King, 22, Yellowstone National Park, Eagle Peak, 17 Sept 2024

[RedHaus]

I wish there was a way people like us could really help this family...

Well, we may have helped a little...

Per my early morning post #53, I sent an email to the National Park Service with the video posted by @Snoopster, in response to AK's father's plea for pics from others' summit trek on Eagle Peak.

I just got this reply: "Thank you, XXXX - we will pass along to our search and rescue teams."

Unless any of us have direct knowledge of AK's situation or are nearby and able to join the search or support it, maybe there are 3 things we can do:

1. Donate to Brian King-Henke's go-fund-me if you have the resources and inclination.

2. Scour SM for more pics and videos of others' summits on Eagle Peak. And send what you find to the NPS email I used and included in post #53.

3. If anyone has a large, high resolution screen, perhaps they can go thru the terrain search images from @tarabull to look for any possible signs...

All IMO.
ET: clean up formatting and add video link

 

[truthfinder2019]

It does not help of course if AK was dressed in black. But I assume he had the same as in the photo as his arrival. If he likes black maybe also his sleeping bag is black.
I don’t have a super high res screen. The only thing that attracted my attention though of all photos (but will look at them again when less tired). is a black shape near the descent trail. It is not the same color as the rocks.

Maybe any of you can double check with higher resolution?



Now, concerning his car.. On his FB profile he indicates living in West Yellowstone. If he is renting sth there and going to his summer job at the park, he needed to drive there.

 

[truthfinder2019]

“….My recent journey started with a boat ride across Yellowstone Lake to the southeast arm where we could join the trail, cutting off at least a day’s hike. Xanterra will arrange such a drop (and pick-up) from Bridge Bay marina. From there we ascended, in partial segments, the Yellowstone River, Mountain Creek, and Howell Creek.
..
Yellowstone’s highest, Eagle Peak at 11, 367’, has good access via the trail to Eagle Pass. From the pass, the route is anything but straight-forward.
…
The descent reverses this route, but is even slower going…the rigor of Eagle Peak requires prolonged concentration for moving on steep and loose rock, at some spots exposed to long falls..”

Yellowstone Reports

yellowstonereports.com

Eagle Peak wildlife
To the south, on the boundary of the park is Eagle Pass and the Thorofare Plateau, which has a population of elk, moose, deer, bear, bighorn sheep and others and lies along an important north–south migration route for the elk

Eagle Peak (Wyoming) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[RedHaus]

It does not help of course if AK was dressed in black. But I assume he had the same as in the photo as his arrival. If he likes black maybe also his sleeping bag is black.
I don’t have a super high res screen. The only thing that attracted my attention though of all photos (but will look at them again when less tired). is a black shape near the descent trail. It is not the same color as the rocks.

Maybe any of you can double check with higher resolution?

View attachment 533374

Now, concerning his car.. On his FB profile he indicates living in West Yellowstone. If he is renting sth there and going to his summer job at the park, he needed to drive there.

Great sleuthing, @truthfinder2019. I don't have high tech equipment, but this is a super high resolution photo (the original is 34MB). Your image is from the 20th pic in the album, blown up. On my desktop with a large screen, I can tell you that the darker image in the center of your circle is just a hole created by downed tree limbs and rocks. And from what I can see, there is nothing in that circle that might indicate a body or black sleeping bag.

That said, I do hope SAR are searching in all those little caves on that ragged slope. From what I can tell there are no foot prints (i.e. from searchers after the snowfall) around the openings in all the small caves near the area you blew up.

I welcome others with better tech to look - and all the images are here in the SAR album!

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1838715683456086285

 

[arielilane]

Search on Eagle Peak in Yellowstone National Park moves from rescue to recovery, scales back - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

NEWS RELEASE​

UPDATE: Active search and rescue in remote southeast corner of Yellowstone National Park​

Public’s assistance requested




News Release Date: September 24, 2024
Contact: Morgan Warthin, (307) 344-2015

• Yellowstone National Park, with assistance from Grand Teton National Park, Park County, Wyoming, and Teton County, Wyoming, continue to look for Austin King by foot and air in the vicinity of Eagle Peak in the park’s remote southeast corner.
• Since Saturday, Sept. 21, 85 personnel, two helicopters, a search dog team, and an uncrewed aircraft have focused efforts on the high-elevation, expansive and hazardous area. See photos.
• Searchers report accumulations of snow and ice and 6-foot drifts on Eagle Peak.
• View a map that shows the search efforts to date.
• Teams will continue to search for the next several days as conditions continue to improve due to favorable weather forecasts.
• Yellowstone National Park asks for the public’s assistance in locating Austin King, a 22-year-old male last heard from on Tuesday, Sept. 17, when he called friends and family from the summit of Eagle Peak.
• King’s identifying features include height 6’, weight 160, brown hair, hazel eyes, wearing glasses, a black sweatshirt and gray pants.
• The park will provide more information when it is available.

 

[bestill]

Glad they are searching in more favorable weather conditions now. Certainly praying for this young man to be found okay and soon.

 

[mlhenn]

It does not help of course if AK was dressed in black.

Curious what color the sleeping bag may be. Hopefully a color that stands out visibly

 

[arielilane]

Curious what color the sleeping bag may be. Hopefully a color that stands out visibly

I hope so too. I've learned it really is beneficial to wear bright colored clothing during hikes, biking, etc. jmo

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Quotes RSBM.

I do not blame Austin in any way for thinking he was fine. We all do this in various ways in life.

I agree. We all take risks, without meaning to. It's called Living. It usually turns out okay, and we don't think twice, but something unexpected could happen to anyone.

there are 3 things we can do:

1. Donate...

Thank you for the info. regarding legitimate ways to help this family. No matter what, they will need some resources and support.

 

[arielilane]

Share this:

Two helicopters, 85 people, search dogs and a drone have canvassed the rugged terrain in southeast Yellowstone National Park since Saturday in search of missing hiker Austin King. Searchers located the man’s campsite, but have yet to find the 22-year-old, who was last heard from as a storm moved into the area.

The search was launched after King failed to show up for a scheduled boat pickup Friday on nearby Yellowstone Lake.

Crews continue search for missing Yellowstone hiker - WyoFile

22-year-old set off on solo backpacking trip in the park’s remote southeast corner and climbed Eagle Peak in stormy conditions.

wyofile.com

4 hours ago

King, a concession employee working in Yellowstone, had set off a week earlier on a seven-day solo backpacking trip. On Sept. 17, halfway through his trip, he called friends and family to report he had summitted Eagle Peak, the tallest mountain in the park at 11,372 feet.

 

[truthfinder2019]

Am I the only one to find strange that Austin last spoke to friends and family on Sept. 17 from the summit of Eagle Peak ?

Cellular service is limited in Yellowstone. Cell towers at Mammoth Hot Springs, West Yellowstone, Old Faithful, Grant Village, Lake Village, and Mount Washburn provide service to most developed areas (Old Faithful, Canyon Village, Lake Village, Mammoth Hot Springs, Grant Village) and to the North and West entrances.
The only reliable means of communication, would thus be a satellite phone.

This site explains that “… Keep in mind that the normal limitations of satellite phones still apply, such as dropped calls and no service when satellites are out of position.
If you’re headed into the backcountry, seriously consider investing in a personal locator beacon, commonly referred to as a PLB. If you find yourself in a bind, a PLB can help rescuers reach you before things take a turn for the worse.”

Cell and WiFi in Yellowstone? 3 Facts About Phone Service in Yellowstone | Big Horn Basin Media

"Is there phone service in Yellowstone?" It's a commonly asked question, and not just by teens glued to Snapchat or influencers looking to build their Tik Tok followings.

mybighornbasin.com

Thus as he managed to call from the top of a peak where for sure there is no cellular service, he may have had a satellite phone. These can give an approximate location.
I would expect this has been checked…?
If they cannot track his mean of communication now, they should be able to at least track where it was last located. Unless he fell just after calling and the phone was broken. And the ping is the top of the peak.
I don’t understand…

And the car notification still bothers me.

 

[ItalyReader]

he did not get back to his camp....so he has been outside this whole time- hope he had a winter coat and hat but I am thinking hypothermia- he is from MN so he must know something about the cold but 6 days wandering or injured- not good. Are there any caves? Would he have had a headlamp? Trails can look really different going in a different direction/in the dark/in sleet... and if he lost his glasses... really not good.

I also was worried about if he lost his glasses
As a formerly legally blind person, I used to be very worried about losing my glasses. I’d be completely helpless. I have now had corrective surgery and no longer have this vulnerability, but i sure remember it.

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1839041967029698716

 

[RedHaus]

Great queries, @TruthFinder. I'll start here:

And the car notification still bothers me.

I agree. While I tried to reconcile the conflicting info ^^^, I am still not satisfied.

From MSM and NPS I have seen AK's vehicle referenced as a truck, an RV and a Camper. All could be true if he had a pick-up truck that was converted with a camper unit in the bed of the truck, or if he was towing an RV trailer behind his truck. So not sure it matters, but it does sound like he may have lived in it.

What does matter to me is the early MSM reporting that his vehicle was not accounted for. If true, that could open the door to a variety of scenarios.

But I am more of the thinking that perhaps investigators assumed he'd taken the boat ride to the southeast arm of Yellowstone Lake from Lake Village when in actuality he 'sailed' from Grant Village, where he was to 'head back to his RV.' [See post #58 for citations and map below.]

 

[RedHaus]

Am I the only one to find strange that Austin last spoke to friends and family on Sept. 17 from the summit of Eagle Peak ?

RSBM
No you're not, @truthfinder2019.

Having learned from the article @Dotta just posted, "... it was 7.30pm and darkness was falling before he finally reached the summit and took out his phone to break the news."

Until now, I believe we were under the impression AK summited at 7:00pm. And the sunset times I found for 9/17 at Yellowstone ^^^, showed the sunset at 7:27pm and civilian twilight ended at 7:56pm, IIRC. And given the inclement weather and any east facing slope AK was planning to hike, it would be darker earlier. So IMO he likely tried a descent in the dark. He must have been terrified.

Now, like you, I am at a loss as to why, or so it appears right now, no one tried to reach AK by cell or satellite phone the next morning to see if made it back to his campsite and/or was alright. Or ask him to call again to confirm he was safe.

Perhaps at the time no one he called at 7:30pm from the summit was alarmed by the late hour and the bad, cold weather. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, of course. But like you, that is unsettling to me.

My heart goes out to AK's family and friends.

 

[truthfinder2019]

There is also another possibility IMO.

He is staying / working at Grant Village in a dining hall. This is reported in many press articles.
There are 2 types of accomodations for employees:
..”what is Yellowstone employee housing like? The Human Resources (HR) team provides employees with a clean, comfortable, and safe place to live. There are several options regarding Yellowstone National Park employee housing, but the most common option is a dorm. There are a limited number of RV sites available and those are typically assigned to our Campground positions.”
Source Dorm Life in Yellowstone | Yellowstone National Park Lodges

But on his FB, he states to be living in West Yellowstone, not at the Park itself.

Xanterra is the operating agency of Yellowstone for the shuttle boats to Terrace Point from Bridge Bay Marina, which is farther north from Grant Village. I am sorry if I missed a reference but I could not find departures from Grant village to Terrace Point. Unless he rented another service.


So another possibility is that he took his truck to go from Grant Village to Bridge Bay. Or from West Yellowstone to Bridge Bay.
Leave the car there to repick it up on his way back to then be heading to Grant Village.

It may well be that media reported the absence of his truck from where he had left it parked to get in the shuttle boat.
Of course this could either be at Bridge Bay or also be in one of the parkings of Grant Village but I personally still believe he left from Bridge Bay.

 

[whitelilac]

I'm following, but I feel so sad for this young man and his family.

After seeing that video of those two guys climbing that mountain, those conditions scared me. Very rugged with loose rock everywhere, and since weather was bad, with sleet apparently, I don't know how he even made to to the top. Descending is so much harder too. So easy to take one misstep, and fall. And if there was fog, there's the danger of disorientation too.

Reminds me of Julian Sands, the actor and experienced climber who was well prepared, knew the mountain (Mt Baldy in CA), but vanished. He wasn't found for 5 months. Same with another climber that year on Mt Whitney.

My daughter goes on these week long hikes/ climbs in the wilderness, the last time she did 80 miles in the eastern Sierras, not alone thank heavens, and they are prepared, but I don't breathe for the entire week until she's back within service.

I hope against hope that Austen could be alive and hunkered down, ...but it's been a week in bad conditions.....

 

[truthfinder2019]

(Snipped)
5. On the approach, bring a pair of shoes that can get wet, many river crossings. We used flip flops, they works just fine.
6. On the ridge, really make sure you know where you came up. A lot of it looks the same and you can easily get turned around on the way down, especially below the lava tube

Ascent of Eagle Peak on 2018-08-09 - Peakbagger.com

www.peakbagger.com

Round-Trip Distance:	34.4 mi / 55.4 km
Route:	Eagle Creek to Eagle Pass

​

Ascent of Eagle Peak on 2020-09-23 - Peakbagger.com

www.peakbagger.com

RSBM
No you're not, @truthfinder2019.

Having learned from the article @Dotta just posted, "... it was 7.30pm and darkness was falling before he finally reached the summit and took out his phone to break the news."

Until now, I believe we were under the impression AK summited at 7:00pm. And the sunset times I found for 9/17 at Yellowstone ^^^, showed the sunset at 7:27pm and civilian twilight ended at 7:56pm, IIRC. And given the inclement weather and any east facing slope AK was planning to hike, it would be darker earlier. So IMO he likely tried a descent in the dark. He must have been terrified.

Now, like you, I am at a loss as to why, or so it appears right now, no one tried to reach AK by cell or satellite phone the next morning to see if made it back to his campsite and/or was alright. Or ask him to call again to confirm he was safe.

Perhaps at the time no one he called at 7:30pm from the summit was alarmed by the late hour and the bad, cold weather. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, of course. But like you, that is unsettling to me.

My heart goes out to AK's family and friends.

Still, whether 7pm or 7:30pm this is way too late to be high up without proper shelter and certainly extremely dangerous to move when dark.. By that time before darkness comes you usually are back at your campgroung tent. I couldn ‘t find the average time it takes to hike from Eagle pass to Eagle Peak, but from his tent to Eagle pass it would take ca 30 mins. Seeing the info shared here and available in the web, I would say that it would maybe take 3 to 4 hours to go up and ca 5 .5 hours to go down. Does this make sense?

Normally for hikes you leave in the early morning. So either he left far too late, or he left early but encountered difficulties that delayed him.

Anyhow, looking objectively at the little available information, what is there as proof that he actually called at 7:30 pm from Eagle Peak? As far as we (public) know, only that he said to be there. I go back go my point on the (satellite) phone.

Second, due to the adverse weather conditions, if he was really at Eagle Peak, he may have taken the wrong route back. See above snip from a hike report. But again, arriving at a peak so late in the evening seems strange to me, especially since it is reported that he had carefully planned his hike.

 

[justtrish]

Oh my this is so worrying.

Does anyone know how far the hike from his campsite to the peak would have been?

I wonder if he planned to summit that late or if something happened on the way up to delay him until the late hour he called to say he reached the summit. Seems like waiting till the next morning and starting before daylight and arriving with plenty of time to descend before dark would have been so much safer. I also wonder if knowing he had to be back for the boat on Friday weighed on his mind.. if he had to be back to catch a boat ride, then maybe he went ahead even knowing it would be later because he had to make it back on Friday.