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

[ch_13]

Complicating the matter is Austin is young so may not have had the funds to outfit himself as someone older would. One example is the lack of a satellite device like a Garmin InReach Mini. They are $400 plus a monthly subscription. For those who don't know, aside from the SOS and text messaging features, they have tracking capabilities. Every ten minutes your position is sent via satellite, and people with access to your map share can watch your movement throughout the day on a map. At the very least it gives the last known position to start searching, even if the user is unable to issue an SOS.

Even spending $4 for a month-long subscription to AllTrails would have been helpful. While there's valid criticism that hikers can overly rely on GPS apps, in Austin's case having the app for backup would have given him a warning that he was off-trail and aided him in returning to the standard route.

 

[Lish311]

I always had a gut feeling that he took a ridiculously illogical route and this summit entry makes it clear (and is also sad to read).

Now it makes it likely he walked along the ridge line trying to find a way down the mountain - and took another terrible route.

Could he have walked north which is completely out of the scope of the SAR team??? This explains why they haven't found any trace of him because the SAR team only searched thoroughly south of Eagle Peak towards his camp and they was no drones or ground teams on the north side at all.

From there, of course he could have fallen or sought shelter somewhere there out of the elements while waiting out the bad weather for the night.

Does anyone know more about the north side of the peak and how possible it is to search there?

 

[ch_13]

I always had a gut feeling that he took a ridiculously illogical route and this summit entry makes it clear (and is also sad to read).

Now it makes it likely he walked along the ridge line trying to find a way down the mountain - and took another terrible route.

Could he have walked north which is completely out of the scope of the SAR team??? This explains why they haven't found any trace of him because the SAR team only searched thoroughly south of Eagle Peak towards his camp and they was no drones or ground teams on the north side at all.

From there, of course he could have fallen or sought shelter somewhere there out of the elements while waiting out the bad weather for the night.

Does anyone know more about the north side of the peak and how possible it is to search there?

They did search the north face, but with aircraft instead of on foot. I presume they would have used ground teams if they could, so there must have been no way to do it safely.

Here's a photo from Eagle Pass of the western slope. On to the right (the northern side) you can see how inhospitable the terrain is. In places it's an almost sheer vertical drop. I doubt there's any way down without using climbing equipment.

 

[bluestsocks]

I wish some of the people who did the mapping and theorizing and searching for Bill Ewasko were active here. They didn't end up finding him - someone hiking did years later- but they were all so knowledgeable and skilled that they had amazing maps and were able to figure out his different potential paths. It really brought home the difficulty of finding someone in the wilderness, especially if they go even slightly off the expected course. I believe he was found quite near one of the locations they'd mapped out for searching as a possibility- just a bit further out of the grid.

 

[mlhenn]

Missing Yellowstone Hiker's Note A Clue For Volunteer Search Teams Now Mobilizing

The father of a 22-year-old hiker missing since Sept. 17 after summiting Yellowstone’s highest peak is coordinating private and volunteer search teams to…

cowboystatedaily.com

King left a voicemail for his father Brian King-Henke from the summit as well. The voicemail didn’t ping to King-Henke’s phone until a week later, Lamb said. But it roughly mirrors the language of King’s note.

“We can tell by that voicemail that he was disoriented,” Lamb told Cowboy State Daily on Friday. “He admits he came up the wrong path … he possibly didn’t know the right path to take down, to head back down to the lake.”

The side of the mountain facing the city of Cody features crumbling descents, cliffs, ravines and other pitfalls.

“You can tell he’s scared (in the voicemail), he’s cold — he doesn’t really know where he’s at,” said Lamb. “It took him all day to get there, so you can just imagine trying to come down a mountain not seeing at all, and not knowing where you’re at up there and which direction to go.”

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Missing Yellowstone Hiker's Note A Clue For Volunteer Search Teams Now Mobilizing

The father of a 22-year-old hiker missing since Sept. 17 after summiting Yellowstone’s highest peak is coordinating private and volunteer search teams to…

cowboystatedaily.com

King left a voicemail for his father Brian King-Henke from the summit as well. The voicemail didn’t ping to King-Henke’s phone until a week later, Lamb said. But it roughly mirrors the language of King’s note.

“We can tell by that voicemail that he was disoriented,” Lamb told Cowboy State Daily on Friday. “He admits he came up the wrong path … he possibly didn’t know the right path to take down, to head back down to the lake.”

The side of the mountain facing the city of Cody features crumbling descents, cliffs, ravines and other pitfalls.

“You can tell he’s scared (in the voicemail), he’s cold — he doesn’t really know where he’s at,” said Lamb. “It took him all day to get there, so you can just imagine trying to come down a mountain not seeing at all, and not knowing where you’re at up there and which direction to go.”

Wow, that is heartbreaking.

 

[Snoopster]

Missing Yellowstone Hiker's Note A Clue For Volunteer Search Teams Now Mobilizing

The father of a 22-year-old hiker missing since Sept. 17 after summiting Yellowstone’s highest peak is coordinating private and volunteer search teams to…

cowboystatedaily.com

King left a voicemail for his father Brian King-Henke from the summit as well. The voicemail didn’t ping to King-Henke’s phone until a week later, Lamb said. But it roughly mirrors the language of King’s note.

“We can tell by that voicemail that he was disoriented,” Lamb told Cowboy State Daily on Friday. “He admits he came up the wrong path … he possibly didn’t know the right path to take down, to head back down to the lake.”

The side of the mountain facing the city of Cody features crumbling descents, cliffs, ravines and other pitfalls.

“You can tell he’s scared (in the voicemail), he’s cold — he doesn’t really know where he’s at,” said Lamb. “It took him all day to get there, so you can just imagine trying to come down a mountain not seeing at all, and not knowing where you’re at up there and which direction to go.”

Wow, I feel for this young man. He was full of hope and excitement when he headed out. I hate that he realized that he took the wrong path/route. I can't imagine the panic that must have set in.
We're here for you Austin.

 

[justtrish]

Missing Yellowstone Hiker's Note A Clue For Volunteer Search Teams Now Mobilizing

The father of a 22-year-old hiker missing since Sept. 17 after summiting Yellowstone’s highest peak is coordinating private and volunteer search teams to…

cowboystatedaily.com

King left a voicemail for his father Brian King-Henke from the summit as well. The voicemail didn’t ping to King-Henke’s phone until a week later, Lamb said. But it roughly mirrors the language of King’s note.

“We can tell by that voicemail that he was disoriented,” Lamb told Cowboy State Daily on Friday. “He admits he came up the wrong path … he possibly didn’t know the right path to take down, to head back down to the lake.”

The side of the mountain facing the city of Cody features crumbling descents, cliffs, ravines and other pitfalls.

“You can tell he’s scared (in the voicemail), he’s cold — he doesn’t really know where he’s at,” said Lamb. “It took him all day to get there, so you can just imagine trying to come down a mountain not seeing at all, and not knowing where you’re at up there and which direction to go.”

This is hard to read. I guess this answers the question of why he summitted so late in the day and possibly why he didn't just turn around and go back down if it was getting late.. he didn't come up the right way and it sounds like he came up an extremely dangerous way that might not even be an actual path up. I wonder if he even had his sleeping bag with him. WE know it wasn't in the tent, but if he had it on him, I am curious why he didn't just try to find a place to lay down semi sheltered from the wind and wait for morning where he could at least see better the path or better yet why didn't he call for help

 

[RedHaus]

am curious why he didn't just try to find a place to lay down semi sheltered from the wind and wait for morning

RSBM
Me too. And why AK didn't call 911 from Eagle Peak summit to request a rescue the next day, given his odds of surviving a decent were slim in the dark, wind, cold and wet, and his only chance for cell phone service was likely then and there?

 

[iamshadow21]

RSBM
Me too. And why AK didn't call 911 from Eagle Peak summit to request a rescue the next day, given his odds of surviving a decent were slim in the dark, wind, cold and wet, and his only chance for cell phone service was likely then and there?

I honestly think he wasn't thinking clearly by then. He was exhausted, possibly even injured from his off the map climb. Who knows if he had any water or food left. Who knows if his electrolytes were out of balance, his blood sugar was low, or if he was dehydrated. He couldn't feel his fingers, so he was possibly already hypothermic. I'm sure summiting was a rush, but hypothermia can cause feelings of euphoria as well as the better known symptoms of confusion. It's entirely possible he had no idea how dangerous his situation was or that his body was faltering. He was on the top of the world, having had the peak experience of his life. Even had he not climbed alone, he may not have listened to someone telling him he was unwell in that moment.

MOO

 

[Tower]

I certainly don't blame Austin's dad for continuing to look. I'm sure I would do the exact same thing if I was in his position. And it does seem like he has a couple of locals (who presumably have SAR experience) working with him. But I fear that this could turn out very badly, considering the harsh terrain and oncoming winter. I hope they don't take any unnecessary risks.




Looking at the previous search efforts, the SAR team was very thorough. I really have my doubts about where Austin's dad's team could search that wasn't already covered.

View attachment 536705

Personally I think Austin never made it off the mountain. Perhaps he fell into a snow-filled crevasse or some other area that isn't accessible on foot and not visible from the air (at least with the snow currently on the ground).

I agree with you, this is very concerning. I hope he is going with experienced people. The weather looks fairly clear, but cold this week with highs in the low 40s F. (Edited, it will be colder than I posted previously.)

But this Friday the high will be 22 F and low 14 F. (Edited due to wrong elevation.)

ETA: Snow is coming this Wed or Thu.

I’m sure he’s trying to beat the snow, but I would hate for SAR to have to rescue more folks.

The very best of luck to this team. I think as a parent I would do the same thing, even if I believe it’s nearly impossible they will find Austin when SAR has missed him. It may give his father peace to know he tried.

Eagle Peak Weather Forecast | OpenSnow

Eagle Peak 10-day weather forecast, with current conditions, air quality, lightning potential, and the hourly forecast for the next 5 days.

opensnow.com

 

[Tower]

RSBM
Me too. And why AK didn't call 911 from Eagle Peak summit to request a rescue the next day, given his odds of surviving a decent were slim in the dark, wind, cold and wet, and his only chance for cell phone service was likely then and there?

I have known many mountaineers and it takes a lot for us to accept help, even when we may need it. I would guess that Austin was optimistic, feeling good, and did not believe he was in danger. Moo

 

[Missing Susan]

What is the purpose of the Howell creek Ranger cabin? How is it staffed and what are the duties of a ranger there? Is the ranger in touch with the outside world? Do they regulate the backcountry permit/campsite reservation scenario?

What was the specific interaction between King and the ranger?
I'm wondering if King could have been better served by the staff he interacted with at the ranger cabin the day before his ordeal. Wasn't his campsite an easy hike from the ranger cabin?

 

[Snoopster]

I have known many mountaineers and it takes a lot for us to accept help, even when we may need it. I would guess that Austin was optimistic, feeling good, and did not believe he was in danger. Moo

I think this makes sense (and I'm not even an mountaineer). Human behavior is driven by many factors, one of which is "opportunity cost".
While I am more familiar with this concept in terms of behavioral finance, the same concepts affect every aspect of our lives.
We often feel that we've invested so much in a venture so far and we don't want to 'lose it', but that isn't always the rational decision at the point in time. Perhaps Austin felt that he told all of his colleagues about his plans and he was fairly far along in those plans so he didn't want to turn back and prove those naysayers wrong. He didn't want to throw away all of his supposed gains so he kept moving forward. It would only be human to think this way. That's a tough thought to overcome.

All of this is just in my imagination of what might have happened to him.

 

[georgiajean]

Finishing the book, Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales. I think someone on here recommended it (or on another thread). It helps me to understand more about the many cases of people lost in wilderness, abd guves some possible insights into Austin's case. Why people survive or not. I highly recommend this read because the author deep dives into a number of survival (and non-survival) stories to dissect what it is that causes some to survive others not, besides luck. Some people plow ahead despite the signs because of how it will look to other people (they said don't solo hike, so I have to make it back on my own); because they want to prove to themselves they can do it; because they think more highly of their skills and not enough about the power of nature; because they don't know any better (naive about the reality they are in instead of the reality they visioned). And the inability of the brain to think clearly under tremendous stress and dehydration, hypothermia, hunger, fear, and fatigue is real and overrides reason and thought.

The author calls it "remembering the future" or thinking about the plan and the imagination of what the adventure would be like, and fixating on that instead of the facts in front of them. That may explain why he kept going instead of aborting. Like many mountain climbers, it takes experience to realize that you are only halfway done when you get to the top, and the second half is harder than the first, so you always have your set turnaround time, and your triggers for aborting the mission.

That said, there are people who beat the odds and make it out long after it seems impossible for survival. May Austin be one of them and live to write a book.

 

[georgiajean]

I think this makes sense (and I'm not even an mountaineer). Human behavior is driven by many factors, one of which is "opportunity cost".
While I am more familiar with this concept in terms of behavioral finance, the same concepts affect every aspect of our lives.
We often feel that we've invested so much in a venture so far and we don't want to 'lose it', but that isn't always the rational decision at the point in time. Perhaps Austin felt that he told all of his colleagues about his plans and he was fairly far along in those plans so he didn't want to turn back and prove those naysayers wrong. He didn't want to throw away all of his supposed gains so he kept moving forward. It would only be human to think this way. That's a tough thought to overcome.

All of this is just in my imagination of what might have happened to him.

Well said. I just posted a thought that echos a lot of what you said here!

 

[Snoopster]

Finishing the book, Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales. I think someone on here recommended it (or on another thread). It helps me to understand more about the many cases of people lost in wilderness, abd guves some possible insights into Austin's case. Why people survive or not. I highly recommend this read because the author deep dives into a number of survival (and non-survival) stories to dissect what it is that causes some to survive others not, besides luck. Some people plow ahead despite the signs because of how it will look to other people (they said don't solo hike, so I have to make it back on my own); because they want to prove to themselves they can do it; because they think more highly of their skills and not enough about the power of nature; because they don't know any better (naive about the reality they are in instead of the reality they visioned). And the inability of the brain to think clearly under tremendous stress and dehydration, hypothermia, hunger, fear, and fatigue is real and overrides reason and thought.

The author calls it "remembering the future" or thinking about the plan and the imagination of what the adventure would be like, and fixating on that instead of the facts in front of them. That may explain why he kept going instead of aborting. Like many mountain climbers, it takes experience to realize that you are only halfway done when you get to the top, and the second half is harder than the first, so you always have your set turnaround time, and your triggers for aborting the mission.

That said, there are people who beat the odds and make it out long after it seems impossible for survival. May Austin be one of them and live to write a book.

We were obviously typing our posts at the same time yet we were both posting similar concepts. It's hard to turn back.

ETA: I didn't mention this in my original post, but I wanted to add that it's so easy for all of us, with hindsight, to say that it should have been obvious that Austin shouldn't have gone ahead. But in the moment, to him, no doubt it wouldn't have been obvious. Human psychological drives would have won out.

 

[Tower]

One of the problems is ultralight backpacking and thru hiking now dominate discussions of what gear to bring. This is particularly true for younger people who are likely to be using Reddit and Youtube for advice. The end result is minimal gear with the assumption that nothing goes wrong. The old saw about "be prepared" has gone by the wayside. With this mindset I doubt a bivvy bag would be brought, even though you can get nice emergency ones for about $50 and would be a good idea for an ascent where weather can be variable.

Complicating the matter is Austin is young so may not have had the funds to outfit himself as someone older would. One example is the lack of a satellite device like a Garmin InReach Mini. They are $400 plus a monthly subscription. For those who don't know, aside from the SOS and text messaging features, they have tracking capabilities. Every ten minutes your position is sent via satellite, and people with access to your map share can watch your movement throughout the day on a map. At the very least it gives the last known position to start searching, even if the user is unable to issue an SOS.

We had a discussion about satellite messaging devices earlier on this thread, but they are quite a bit less dependable in practice than they seem. If you don’t initiate the SOS yourself, they send a signal only if you’re moving (defaults to 4 hours if you’re not moving fast) and there are many areas in the wilderness where the automatic signal is not sent.

Battery life is a huge issue and the devices that provide pretty good tracking datapoints are the most expensive and require enhanced subscriptions (even more money). It certainly would provide far more info than we have without it, but a young man like this would not carry one, in my experience.

Satellite devices may not pertain to Austin’s situation, but I bring it up because I think these types of devices make people even more confident to go out hiking alone and while they may help SAR locate a person, hiking with others provides many layers of safety.

I do not blame Austin in any way for not taking these precautions. I have made many decisions that could be considered unwise, especially at age 22. I’m quite sure Austin could not find anyone to share his adventure and, though I’m deeply saddened by his loss, I admire his determination to follow his dreams. Moo

I will be checking back and thinking of Austin until he is home.

 

[georgiajean]

We were obviously typing our posts at the same time yet we were both posting similar concepts. It's hard to turn back.

ETA: I didn't mention this in my original post, but I wanted to add that it's so easy for all of us, with hindsight, to say that it should have been obvious that Austin shouldn't have gone ahead. But in the moment, to him, no doubt it wouldn't have been obvious. Human psychological drives would have won out.

Agreed, very easy to armchair quarterback! You are so correct. I really feel what you said above is spot on, IMO. That he was going to push through and do it, no matter what.

 

[Tower]

I have known many mountaineers and it takes a lot for us to accept help, even when we may need it. I would guess that Austin was optimistic, feeling good, and did not believe he was in danger. Moo

I’m replying to my own post to say that the voicemail he left for his dad sounds like he was a bit less positive. Initial reports seemed to indicate he spoke with family from the peak and was happy and felt a sense of great accomplishment. It sounds like he was feeling all of these things and possibly more. Moo