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

[Tower]

RSBM
Hope is very powerful. And to your heartfelt point, there are numerous creeks to the north, east, and south of Eagle Peak, at the lower elevation. So if AK got lost but found a creek, he could have parked there to keep himself hydrated.

I now wonder if SAR are walking those creeks as part of their search for AK.

View attachment 534814

I sure hope so. At lower elevation, the tree cover would make it harder to find him from the air and the massive wilderness would make searching all the water sources so difficult, in my estimation.

 

[Tower]

I really wish that Austin had had an emergency location device like this person this week:

Missing Canadian hiker found dead on Mount Baker - My Bellingham Now

The outcome wasn't great, but at least family didn't have to wait too long to find out what happened and searchers didn't spend weeks searching.
Of course Austin was young and fit, but, as we see, anything can happen to anyone.
I hope we hear some news soon. His poor family.

I do think satellite messengers are fantastic, but they are really tricky in many situations. If you are incapacitated, you must have someone watching you from home (with cell or internet connection) to be able to log in and locate you and your device. SAR is currently unable to do this, on all devices I’m familiar with. I do hope this changes soon with improved technology. Plus, in canyons and other areas, it is very hard to locate the device even if your family is logged into your account.

If you are conscious, you can send an SOS call from pretty much anywhere and it works for that.

Hike with other people. Technology does not come close to the safety of hiking with a buddy.

The mountaineer who passed away in your link could have roped up to friends and likely not perished in the crevasse if only he weren’t alone. Instead, he may have been emboldened by his Garmin InReach and felt he was safe enough to go solo? I don’t know, I can only speculate. His family must have logged in to give his location, as it seems he did not survive the fall, although the article doesn’t say.

Satellite messengers are a tool, but as you said, they don’t ensure a safe outcome. Hiking with others is so much safer. I am not judging any solo hikers, as the draw of the mountain is strong and it can be hard to find others available to go with you. I’m just hoping others stay safe.
Moo

 

[justtrish]

So sad for his family !
I'd imagine he may still be alive but injured and is hoping for rescue.
Have they been using drones ?
That can help to look in difficult or inaccessible areas.
Omo.

If he happened to get lost, I would imagine he would see helicopters and know that they were looking for him. At this point I think the best case is he passed away immediately and has not suffered for all these days injured somewhere.. I can't imagine dying a slow death like that and not being able to do anything about it.

I have always kept in my mind if you get lost, stay put. This was drilled into my head when I was a girl scout.. if you keep moving and rescuers are looking for you, then you could be moving back into areas they already searched and miss you. I also recall learning to make yourself known.. get in a location that would be visiable from the air.. I know if he was hurt that might not be possible, but if he was just lost, I sure would think getting to an area with an open view of the sky and staying there could help. I know when panic sets it we don't always do what we know to do though.

It's just sad that he could be out there and just not found.

 

[Tower]

I agree. There are basic keychain sized tags called RECCO Reflectors that are relatively cheap, don't require batteries or a paid-subscription and would have been highly effective in this case. Teton Country SAR has the technology on their helicopter.

The NPS Backcountry offices could rent them with a deposit, much like how you can rent a Bear Can at the Yosemite backcountry office. I carry my RECCO reflector backcountry and also when traveling internationally.

View attachment 534961

These are very cool, but are still probably a tool of the future for most areas. There are handheld RECCO detectors around the country, which can be used on the ground by SAT. But I believe there are no more than 5 RECCO helicopter detectors in North America. This came up in the thread on the actor Julian Sands who perished at Mt. Baldy in Southern California. At great expense, they flew a helicopter from the Reno-Tahoe Area that was RECCO-enabled long after that mission had turned to recovery. The helicopter was not successful in finding him. He probably did NOT have a RECCO tag, but the technology can also locate cell phones and other tech.

Found Deceased Thread 'CA - British actor Julian Sands, 65, missing in Mount Baldy area, San Gabriel Mountains, last seen 13 Jan 2023'

Jan 18, 2023

• Julian Sands, 65, has been missing since Friday evening in the Mount Baldy area
• He is one of two hikers being searched for in Southern California's mountains
• Sands is known for his roles in several films including 1985 'A Room with a View'

British actor and 'A Room with a View' star Julian Sands has been named as one of two missing hikers in California's San Gabriel Mountains.

Sands, 65, was last seen in the Mount Baldy area on Friday evening and his family have heard from him since.

According to the San...

• MsMiniSleuth
• Replies: 153
• Forum: Located Persons Discussion

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I am personally a huge proponent of using this technology in the early stages of rescue, but in most cases it’s far too expensive for every rescue. I hope it can be used more in the future.

I’m guessing it was used during this search for AK because Teton County was involved and that RECCO helicopter was so close? But I haven’t seen any reports about it.

Jmo

 

[mlhenn]

11 days and no 'definitive clues' | Search for Minnesota man in Yellowstone now recovery mission

Austin King-Henke went missing in Yellowstone National Park. After 11 days of searching, the rescue mission has changed to a recovery effort.

www.kare11.com

For the past 11 days, more than 100 personnel have been looking for King-Henke, utilizing helicopters, dog teams, and drones. According to the National Park Service, more than 3,225 miles by air and ground at elevations ranging from 11,350 feet to 8,400 feet have been searched.

Officials said "unfortunately, they have not found any definitive clues as to King’s current whereabouts."