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

[truthfinder2019]

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.

I would assume, but pls correct me, from camp to Eagle Pass is 1,7 miles, 50 mins walking, plus ca 5 hours from Eagle Pass to Eagle Peak ?? Or maybe more….The round trip Eagle Pass to Eagle Peak see thread 39, is ca 35 miles

All the reviews I read indicate for going and returning, the same day

 

[arielilane]

A map showing our ground and aerial search efforts through 9/24:

(View a larger version on our Flickr: https://flic.kr/p/2qixLcM)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1838968331048554961

https://flic.kr/p/2qixLcM

 

[tarabull]

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:

View attachment 533270
Courtesy: Yellowstone National Park Service

Snipped from your post/the link....
..."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."

What would the special equipment tracking his call be?¿?¿? What does it all mean IF he wouldn't have even had service from the peak, as I read mentioned up thread...I try not to think of all the ugly layers to this story but it is so hard not to.

 

[RedHaus]

Anyhow, looking objectively at the little available information, what is there as proof that he actually called at 7:30 pm from Eagle Peak?

RSBM
Interesting questions, @truthfinder2019.

I think the family has hard data about AK sumitting Eagle Peak when he said he did, from this article:

"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...""

Of course, this could be incorrectly recounted or reported, but it may help you.

 

[FoxxTraxx]

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. - Truthfinder2019

One news story said that Austin had signed the booklet at the summit of Eagle Peak. A video trip of the mountain posted earlier showed the booklet is stored in an ammunition box near the peak. I cannot find the source of that information among the 82 posts on this thread though.

 

[ch_13]

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 ?

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.

snipped.

It's not unheard of to get cell service on a mountaintop. Cell towers operate on a line-of-sight. So when you're at the peak, you can often get service from cell towers that are many miles away because there's nothing between you and the tower. Of course, service isn't reliable and it depends on a lot of factors, like tower strength, weather conditions, etc.

 

[RedHaus]

One news story said that Austin had signed the booklet at the summit of Eagle Peak. A video trip of the mountain posted earlier showed the booklet is stored in an ammunition box near the peak. I cannot find the source of that information among the 82 posts on this thread though.

Hah. It's right above your post!

 

[Snoopster]

(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

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.

<<snipped and bolded by me>>

I thought I recalled someone posting that it had been confirmed that he signed the register. I can't find it right now though. Can anyone else?

 

[tarabull]

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."

 

[CuriousCricket]

There are a few bright spots in this story that (I hope) may lead to a good outcome:
He's a young man in terrific physical condition
He's been planning the climb for weeks, perhaps even before arriving in Yellowstone
He most likely knew what supplies he would need
Being from Minnesota, surely his sleeping bag is designed for the extreme cold.
With snow on the ground, he has access to water.
So, even if injured perhaps he managed to get to a sheltered location.
(Remember in September Robert Schock was found alive after being lost for a month in the Cascades? According to the story below, he survived by drinking a gallon of water a day.) A month lost in the North Cascades without food or shelter: Hiker details improbable rescue | Cascadia Daily News
Hoping for a good outcome despite terrible odds.

 

[Snoopster]

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."

Thanks Tara! That's what I was looking for.
I wanted to head off any discussion of "was he really at the peak?", if he was in fact proven to have been there.

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 26, 2024

Search for missing Minnesota hiker turns focus to most hazardous areas of Yellowstone

The National Park Service says 22-year-old Winona native Austin King-Henke made a call from the summit of Eagle Peak Sept. 17, and hasn't been heard from since.

www.kare11.com

A more favorable weather pattern is allowing search and rescue teams to expand the search for a missing hiker from Minnesota who went missing after scaling the highest peak in Yellowstone.

Parents of Missing Yellowstone Employee 'Not Giving Up' on Finding Son After He Didn't Return from Hike

The family of missing Yellowstone National Park employee Austin King is speaking out following his disappearance earlier in September.

people.com

When asked for comment, representatives for Yellowstone National Park told PEOPLE that they "do not have additional information to share" beyond the release issued on Tuesday.

Search teams combing Yellowstone for missing Winona man

Search and rescue teams continue to look for Austin King, the Winona native who went missing in Yellowstone National Park.

www.wxow.com

The update said they are focusing efforts on the high elevation, expansive, and hazardous areas around the peak.

It also said that search teams would continue for the next several days as weather conditions improve in the area.

 

[Snoopster]

There are a few bright spots in this story that (I hope) may lead to a good outcome:
He's a young man in terrific physical condition
He's been planning the climb for weeks, perhaps even before arriving in Yellowstone
He most likely knew what supplies he would need
Being from Minnesota, surely his sleeping bag is designed for the extreme cold.
With snow on the ground, he has access to water.
So, even if injured perhaps he managed to get to a sheltered location.
(Remember in September Robert Schock was found alive after being lost for a month in the Cascades? According to the story below, he survived by drinking a gallon of water a day.) A month lost in the North Cascades without food or shelter: Hiker details improbable rescue | Cascadia Daily News
Hoping for a good outcome despite terrible odds.

I'll add to your optimistic post the case of Rita Chretien, stranded in a remote part of Nevada in the early spring for 7 weeks. Unfortunately her husband was later found deceased, but Rita survived on trail mix, candies and snow water.

2011: The incredible story of Rita Chretien

We will all keep our fingers crossed that Austin will be found safe and be brought back to his family. The odds are long but we should never give up hope.

 

[RedHaus]

<<snipped and bolded by me>>

I thought I recalled someone posting that it had been confirmed that he signed the register. I can't find it right now though. Can anyone else?

Yup, see posts #83 & 84 just above...

 

[Tower]

snipped.

It's not unheard of to get cell service on a mountaintop. Cell towers operate on a line-of-sight. So when you're at the peak, you can often get service from cell towers that are many miles away because there's nothing between you and the tower. Of course, service isn't reliable and it depends on a lot of factors, like tower strength, weather conditions, etc.

In my experience, it’s actually quite common to have service only at the summit, due to line-of-sight, as you state. I can go days in the backcountry with no service, but I often have service and call my family from the peak, then go without service again for days.

I think it’s very unlikely he would have had a satellite messenger device or sat phone due to his age and level of experience. It can give you a false sense of security to carry one because you have to initiate a distress call, therefore you must be well enough to know you need help. In this case, I think we can be certain from reports that he was using a regular cell phone and had service perhaps only on the summit. His family would have known he couldn’t check in again until he was back in “civilization.”

My own experience, my own opinion

 

[tarabull]

Thanks Tara! That's what I was looking for.
I wanted to head off any discussion of "was he really at the peak?", if he was in fact proven to have been there.

I am not the original poster of the link first time, regardless, I question also....if not for the father saying THAT...actually I still question TBH

 

[tarabull]

K i'm bad at this but i spy...fwiw is it nothing???



it's somewhere in this area on this pic (sorry i'm lost but in a different way) so above & to the left of the line of search & rescurers walking

 

[RedHaus]

K i'm bad at this but i spy...fwiw is it nothing???

RSBM
You may be better than you think, @tarabull! I am certainly not trained to find a needle in images of terrain like this. But I am intrigued by your find. I confirmed it is the same image #20 discussed ^^^ from the SAR photo album, 9/24.

It took me a while but I was able to match your images with the original 34MB high resolution image #20. And then I blew up that crevasse you circled and put my own circles around the intriguing image.

My eyes may be deceiving me of course, but I see two possible images here: 1) an image of a person positioned vertically in the crevasse, or 2) an image of a person lying on their back at the top of the crevasse.

Neither image I (or you) perceive could have anything to do with AK or may not even be human.

So I wonder what other eyes and brains think about this image?

 

[tarabull]

What got me is a head/face and possibly one bare leg like Austin appeared in the photo of him when he was dropped off to depart (also dark clothing)....I appreciate your opinion as I do not have high resolution screen or great vision.

 

[truthfinder2019]

Wow whether bear leg or the grey pants he had, I also see what could well be a person !
Great find !!!