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

[PommyMommy]

SEP 24, 2024

Search continues for man missing for 7 days in Yellowstone Park - East Idaho News

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – The search continues for a 22-year-old man in Yellowstone National Park who hasn’t been seen since last Tuesday. A news release from park officials Tuesday afternoon says air and ground crews are searching for Austin King near Eagle Peak in the park’s remote southeast...

www.eastidahonews.com

A news release from park officials Tuesday afternoon says air and ground crews are searching for Austin King near Eagle Peak in the park’s remote southeast corner.

[...]

Searchers are reporting six-foot drifts of snow and ice on Eagle Peak, as of 4:51 p.m. Tuesday. Teams will continue looking for the next several days as conditions improve. Grand Teton National Park officials are assisting, along with Park County, Wyoming, and Teton County, Wyoming search and rescue.

[...]

 

[Snoopster]

SEP 24, 2024

Search continues for man missing for 7 days in Yellowstone Park - East Idaho News

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – The search continues for a 22-year-old man in Yellowstone National Park who hasn’t been seen since last Tuesday. A news release from park officials Tuesday afternoon says air and ground crews are searching for Austin King near Eagle Peak in the park’s remote southeast...

www.eastidahonews.com

A news release from park officials Tuesday afternoon says air and ground crews are searching for Austin King near Eagle Peak in the park’s remote southeast corner.

[...]

Searchers are reporting six-foot drifts of snow and ice on Eagle Peak, as of 4:51 p.m. Tuesday. Teams will continue looking for the next several days as conditions improve. Grand Teton National Park officials are assisting, along with Park County, Wyoming, and Teton County, Wyoming search and rescue.

[...]

6 foot drifts???
That's terrible!
Hopefully he's made his way down a fair way from the peak, perhaps on the 'wrong side' (i.e. western) of the mountain and is holed up there waiting for help.
The days are ticking by though.

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 24, 2024

Father of missing Winona man asks Yellowstone National Park hikers for help

An active search and rescue is taking place in Yellowstone National Park to locate a missing Minnesota man.

www.kimt.com

His father Brian King-Henke, said "They found tracks, he signed the book at the summit. He made the phone call on Tuesday so they've been using special equipment to track that and all the workers on the mountain themselves and helicopters and drones."

Yellowstone rescue teams step up search efforts for hiker missing since Sept 17

UPDATE on Sept 24, 2024 @ 4:56 p.m.

www.kulr8.com

Below is a map of the area where search efforts have been focused so far:


Courtesy: Yellowstone National Park Service

 

[Snoopster]

For perspective, here's a google maps 3D view of the Peak, Eagle Pass and his original campsite (6D8). (Ignore the silly box saying it's just a 20 minute walk!)
Could Austin have headed down from the peak and switched to a different direction? The searches are concentrate on the east side of the peak, Eagle Pass and the trail to 6D8. Where else could he be?



Eagle Pass to Eagle Peak

 

[acutename]

For perspective, here's a google maps 3D view of the Peak, Eagle Pass and his original campsite (6D8). (Ignore the silly box saying it's just a 20 minute walk!)
Could Austin have headed down from the peak and switched to a different direction? The searches are concentrate on the east side of the peak, Eagle Pass and the trail to 6D8. Where else could he be?

View attachment 533271

Eagle Pass to Eagle Peak

is that water (a tarn or lake "above" 6D8?)... he could be under a rock. 6 ft drifts of snow sound like after he summited, it was freezing wind-whipping cold and we know it was dark. want to know if he had his sleeping bag with him.

 

[RedHaus]

...want to know if he had his sleeping bad with him.

Yes, @acutename.

Well, we at least know AK's sleeping bag was not at his 6D8, Upper Howell Creek Campsite. I presume that indicates he has his sleeping bag. See my post #39 for citation. That gives me hope.

 

[RedHaus]

Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact the Yellowstone Interagency Communications Center at 307-344-2643

[source courtesy of @PommyMommy]

ETA [...]

 

[tarabull]

I watched the youtube of the 2 ranch hands who made their way up...& back. Truly gave me anxiety to think of being out there alone, even in the meadow, i would be frozen in fear in the dark omg.

Best Friend Of Yellowstone Hiker Missing A Week Waits At Camp,…

Desmond McGroarty, lifelong best friend of missing Yellowstone hiker Austin King, is desperately hoping he’s found alive. He’s at the concessions village…

cowboystatedaily.com

Quote I find interesting and relevant: "
King, who works in a dining hall, had been telling his friends about the trip for weeks. He’s an amateur mountaineer but very athletic. He competes in triathlons and hikes frequently, McGroarty said.

“He’s never done something like (Eagle Peak),” said McGroarty. “He showed everybody his plan (that) he wrote out on paper.”

His friends would tell him it didn’t seem like a great idea to go alone, but nobody wanted to push back too hard because King was so passionate about the climb and eager to win the experience for himself."

So, while he was very athletic, it doesn't seem like he wasn't particularly experienced in this type of climb.

The photo from your link shows him (far left) when he was dropped off on 9/14

ETA: also from the link...
...“He’s never done something like (Eagle Peak),” said McGroarty. “He showed everybody his plan (that) he wrote out on paper.”

His friends would tell him it didn’t seem like a great idea to go alone, but nobody wanted to push back too hard because King was so passionate about the climb and eager to win the experience for himself.

 

[Chimera]

It would be good to know more about the state of the "camp and personal belongings". Was it a case of he left his camp to just go poo in a hole? Or was he off on a day hike? Surely they have an idea based on what they found there. Super concerning if his camp still had the things he'd need for shelter and survival, i.e sleeping bag etc.

Bbm.
Thanks for this ... I was just going to inquire if he had tent/shelter sufficient food ?
Looks bad, I'm sorry for his anxious family !

 

[mlhenn]

Yes, @acutename.

Well, we at least know AK's sleeping bag was not at his 6D8, Upper Howell Creek Campsite. I presume that indicates he has his sleeping bag. See my post #39 for citation. That gives me hope.

What reason would his sleeping bag be missing but his other personal belongings be at the campsite? Would he just take his sleeping bag?

 

[tarabull]

NPS News Release:

UPDATE: Active search and rescue in remote southeast corner of Yellowstone National Park - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

From there, link to photos from searching:

Event: 2024 Eagle Peak Search & Rescue

Explore this photo album by Yellowstone National Park on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

 

[Tower]

What reason would his sleeping bag be missing but his other personal belongings be at the campsite? Would he just take his sleeping bag?

It’s a good question. He was backpacking for days and you wouldn’t take all your gear up to the summit if you didn’t need to. He planned to return to his camp after summitting.

I’ve never summitted with my sleeping bag in this scenario, but if his jacket and warm clothing were minimal, he could have taken the sleeping bag as a precaution, for an extra layer. I’m guessing he felt like his clothing was not warm enough if he couldn’t make it back to camp that night. Just my own opinion.

 

[RedHaus]

In response to AK's father's plea for anyone to submit photos to the search from their summit of Eagle Peak, I just emailed the @Snoopster video to the email address Brian King-Henke posted on his FB page yesterday (below).

 

[TwinkieDefense]

Rescuers in Yellowstone National Park searched the area of Eagle Peak on Sunday in an effort to find a park concession worker who failed to check in at the end of a personal trip, authorities said.
…
On Sunday, more than 20 searchers on the ground were aided by two helicopter-based crews, drones and a canine search team in the so-far unsuccessful effort to find the missing man on and around Eagle Peak, the park service said.
…
It’s not clear what happened between his summit on that day and his failure to show up for a boat on Friday.…It's not clear what became of a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup with Minnesota plates that the park service said is associated with King.
..
In the last three days, temperatures in Yellowstone National Park have bottomed out in the high 20s and struggled to break the 60-degree mark, according to National Weather Service data.

Rescuers search for Yellowstone concession worker missing after backcountry hike in bad weather

Austin King, 22, missed a scheduled boat trip on Friday at Yellowstone Lake’s Southeast Arm after a seven-day mountain trek, authorities said.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[PommyMommy]

last updated 4:48 AM, Sep 25, 2024

'Not giving up': Family of lost hiker in Yellowstone National Park still hopeful

The family of the hiker that went missing in Yellowstone National Park last week is still hopeful that he will be found.

www.ktvq.com

His parents traveled from Minnesota when they heard the news and are staying at the Lake Hotel in Yellowstone National Park, which is about 10 minutes from where the rescue headquarters have been established.

“This was the pinnacle of his summer because he had to go home in two weeks," King said. "So, this was it. This was the grand adventure for him."

“The helicopters come and go every 15 minutes and that's kind of how I've timed my life by every 15 minutes," King said. "Next helicopter, next helicopter, next helicopter."

 

[ChatteringBirds]

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

 

[ch_13]

What reason would his sleeping bag be missing but his other personal belongings be at the campsite? Would he just take his sleeping bag?

I carry an emergency bivvy with me on dayhikes, just in case something unforeseeable happens and I have to overnight out-of-doors.


Maybe he took along his sleeping bag with the same idea. Just as an emergency shelter in case he got stuck on the mountain.

 

[RedHaus]

@TwinkieDefense, from @truthfinder2019's 9/23 article you reposted this morning, it states: "...It's not clear what became of a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup..."

But I suspect that is old or odd news given yesterday's (9/24) article citing: "...King was due to board a boat Friday and head back to his RV in the Grant Village area in the park."

The MP flier states AK's associated vehicle is a 2006 White Chevy Silverado, 2 Door, MN plates: MN HWH863. So this is all a bit confusing.

My guess is that AK has a camper attached to his Silverado Pickup and it was found at Grant Village.

IMO

 

[RedHaus]

I carry an emergency bivvy with me on dayhikes, just in case something unforeseeable happens and I have to overnight out-of-doors.
View attachment 533351

Maybe he took along his sleeping bag with the same idea. Just as an emergency shelter in case he got stuck on the mountain.

Many thanks @ch_13 for this reminder.

I just ordered online a mult-pack of bivvys and 5-in-1 Tactical Keychain Lanyards with Compass, Emergency Whistle, Fire Starter for my hiking trip to OR next month! Three of the 10 Essentials!!

Not sure why a 120db Whistle is not a 10 Essential. IMO it is critical to call for help, especially if you are unable to be seen... and to scare off predators.

 

[Tower]

Many thanks @ch_13 for this reminder.

I just ordered online a mult-pack of bivvys and 5-in-1 Tactical Keychain Lanyards with Compass, Emergency Whistle, Fire Starter for my hiking trip to OR next month! Three of the 10 Essentials!!

Not sure why a 120db Whistle is not a 10 Essential. IMO it is critical to call for help, especially if you are unable to be seen... and to scare off predators.

I think the concept of the 10 essentials is to provide your own basic needs in the backcountry, not provide for means of rescue. I would add hiking with a buddy (or several) as one of my essentials. I lead guided hikes and we don’t take less than 4. If someone is injured, that’s 2 to go for help and a buddy to stay with the injured person. If someone decides to go with fewer, it is no longer an official guided trip, the risks are explained and they are declared independent, not part of the trip. This is for liability, but also so they understand the risks involved and hopefully choose to wait for others to go along. The mountain will always be there.

Of course, many times you just can’t go unless you go alone because you can’t find anyone else. In that case, I would take a satellite messenger. My phone also has satellite emergency alerts. But I would never have thought I needed it, nor could I have afforded it at age 22. I do not blame Austin in any way for thinking he was fine. We all do this in various ways in life. Moo