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

[truthfinder2019]

Thank you for the update Red

 

[ch_13]

Winona native disappeared in Yellowstone a year ago. ‘Army’ of searchers won’t give up.

Two groups will set out this month into the Wyoming wilderness for what’s almost certainly a recovery mission.

www.startribune.com

WINONA, MINN. – Weary but hopeful, Brian King-Henke will drive from Minnesota to Wyoming next week to make one more attempt to find his missing son...King-Henke assembled his own private search last year but it was halted by heavy snow. He vowed to return with “an army.”...That army will move in with two separate, private searches this month.

 

[RedHaus]

I realize higher elevation weather can be much different than lower elevation. But the weather for Yellowstone looks perfect for Brian's large private search for his son. I am hoping for the best.

 

[truthfinder2019]

What is planned is quite impressive.

Massive Recovery Mission Planned For Yellowstone Hiker Who Vanished 10 Months Ago

A team of private-sector outdoorsmen and another of Yellowstone National Park personnel and volunteers are preparing missions next month to recover Austin…

cowboystatedaily.com

 

[mickey2942]

Right now, we are getting snow at 7,000 feet at Bear tooth pass. Further north and east of YNP. But you can't count on a weather forecast at YNP, because it changes constantly.

Eagle Peak (Wyoming) Weather Forecast (3462m)

Eagle Peak (Wyoming), Beartooth Mountains, Rocky Mountains (USA), United States Mountain weather forecast for 3462m. Detailed 6 day mountain weather forecast for climbers and mountaineers.

www.mountain-forecast.com

 

[RedHaus]

What is planned is quite impressive.

Massive Recovery Mission Planned For Yellowstone Hiker Who Vanished 10 Months Ago

A team of private-sector outdoorsmen and another of Yellowstone National Park personnel and volunteers are preparing missions next month to recover Austin…

cowboystatedaily.com

Indeed. And this new bit is interesting.

"Besides retrospect and areas already covered, there aren’t many more clues now than there were last autumn, said Dohse — except an interview with one of King’s coworkers.

The coworker flagged an alternate route King had contemplated “in case he had to bail out,” an access via the U.S. Forest Service trailhead at the Eagle Creek Campground.

Connor Goodwin, director of Mountain Safety Group and leader of the climbing team, noted that the side of the peak heading into that route is fraught with “lots of different drainages” into which a climber could drop."

 

[LookingForClues]

What is planned is quite impressive.

Massive Recovery Mission Planned For Yellowstone Hiker Who Vanished 10 Months Ago

A team of private-sector outdoorsmen and another of Yellowstone National Park personnel and volunteers are preparing missions next month to recover Austin…

cowboystatedaily.com

This is very interesting technology. Imagine, if this is accurate enough to help find lost people in difficult terrain, this could be a game changer for SAR teams:

The drones are supplying a software technology Dohse developed with the help of Amazon and Denver-based Cloud 303, which analyzes drone photographs to search for anomalies and other images an operator can search on an input basis.

The program is called Sixth Sense.

It’s “almost” like the reverse Google images search feature, said Dohse. It also can pinpoint certain colors, patterns and lettering.

 

[RedHaus]

This is very interesting technology. Imagine, if this is accurate enough to help find lost people in difficult terrain, this could be a game changer for SAR teams...

RSBM
Indeed. I posted an article on the prior page about how this technology found a hiker lost in the mountains, also last Sept.

I'm glad they'll be using it for AK.

Post in thread 'WY - Austin King, 22, Yellowstone National Park, Eagle Peak, 17 Sept 2024' WY - WY - Austin King, 22, Yellowstone National Park, Eagle Peak, 17 Sept 2024

 

[truthfinder2019]

Winona native disappeared in Yellowstone a year ago. ‘Army’ of searchers won’t give up.

Two groups will set out this month into the Wyoming wilderness for what’s almost certainly a recovery mission.

www.startribune.com

In summary:

Two independent search teams are launching the next phase of efforts to locate Austin King in Yellowstone’s rugged wilderness—most likely a recovery mission rather than a rescue.

Austin’s father, Brian King-Henke, has spearheaded this initiative—organizing volunteers, coordinating logistics, and raising funds. He refers to these volunteers as his “army.”

The Jon Francis Foundation leads the first group

• A nonprofit experienced in wilderness recovery, formed after a similar loss in Idaho.
• Deploying canine teams specialized in locating human remains.
• Costs estimated around $60,000.
• Utilizing mules and horses to haul gear into a remote base camp near his original campsite (site 6D8).
• Searchers will traverse nearly 20 miles over two days to reach rugged areas around Eagle Peak.
• Dogs will search hard-to-access slopes to detect any cadaver scent.

Second private search group follows shortly after

• Scheduled to begin around August 21, 2025.
• Organized by Bill Dohse of Find-911 and the Montana Safety Group.
• Will focus on a tight 2-mile radius around Eagle Peak, using drones, rope teams, dog teams, and ground personnel.

Collaboration with Yellowstone National Park Service

• The Park Service is granting special permissions to use drones and search dogs in remote backcountry locations that would normally be off-limits.
• They’re also sharing aerial maps and previous drone data to aid the private teams.
• Yellowstone staff will continue opportunistic searches when near Eagle Peak and plan their own follow-up searches later in the summer or fall.

Timing is tied to environmental conditions. With snow melted, creeks passable, and better daylight, this is the optimal—perhaps only—window to find Austin.

The support from strangers and online donors continues to be overwhelming and essential to sustain operations.

 

[truthfinder2019]

RSBM
Indeed. I posted an article on the prior page about how this technology found a hiker lost in the mountains, also last Sept.

I'm glad they'll be using it for AK.

Post in thread 'WY - Austin King, 22, Yellowstone National Park, Eagle Peak, 17 Sept 2024' WY - WY - Austin King, 22, Yellowstone National Park, Eagle Peak, 17 Sept 2024

• Drones with AI-assisted image analysis will be used by the second private search group (Find-911 / Montana Safety Group).
• These drones will scan high-resolution aerial images of remote slopes, ridgelines, and valleys near Eagle Peak.
• AI software will help automatically detect anomalies—such as unusual colors, shapes, or textures—that could indicate clothing, gear, or human remains.
• This technology helps cover terrain too dangerous or slow for humans and speeds up the review of thousands of drone images.
• The Yellowstone National Park Service is also sharing previous drone flight data so AI can compare new imagery against older scans to identify changes in the landscape.

 

[roche.analisa]

• Drones with AI-assisted image analysis will be used by the second private search group (Find-911 / Montana Safety Group).
• These drones will scan high-resolution aerial images of remote slopes, ridgelines, and valleys near Eagle Peak.
• AI software will help automatically detect anomalies—such as unusual colors, shapes, or textures—that could indicate clothing, gear, or human remains.
• This technology helps cover terrain too dangerous or slow for humans and speeds up the review of thousands of drone images.
• The Yellowstone National Park Service is also sharing previous drone flight data so AI can compare new imagery against older scans to identify changes in the landscape.

That tech is really freaking cool

 

[FoxxTraxx]

I found a very brief news story saying the search for Austin was delayed to Aug. 21st.
Social media pages do not show anything noteworthy that I could find.

UPDATE: Continued search delayed for Winona hiker who went missing in Yellowstone last fall​

KAAL-TV News Update Austin King search

 

[PrairieWind]

That is really unfortunately. Summer is slipping away.

 

[RedHaus]

I found a very brief news story saying the search for Austin was delayed to Aug. 21st.
Social media pages do not show anything noteworthy that I could find.

UPDATE: Continued search delayed for Winona hiker who went missing in Yellowstone last fall​

KAAL-TV News Update Austin King search

I too have beem scouring for MSM or SM news about the 1st phase of the new search that was supposed to start 8/11. And also have not seen anything!

So this is a very strange article. It references Brian's page. And when I linked to that page the latest post by Brian is still that the new search was to start 8/11. I wonder if its a typo (8/21 vs. 8/11) in the article??

Donate to Please help bring my son Austin King home., organized by Brian King-Henke

Please continue to help me to find my son Austin King in late July or e… Brian King-Henke needs your support for Please help bring my son Austin King home.

www.gofundme.com

 

[RedHaus]

I too have beem scouring for MSM or SM news about the 1st phase of the new search that was supposed to start 8/11. And also have not seen anything!

So this is a very strange article. It references Brian's page. And when I linked to that page the latest post by Brian is still that the new search was to start 8/11. I wonder if its a typo (8/21 vs. 8/11) in the article??

https://www.🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬.com/f/Help-Resune-Searching-For-Austin-King-Fund

Oh my.... ita a G F M page.

 

[arielilane]

King-Henke said the search will begin August 21,

According to King-Henke, the delay is due to some volunteers being sent to Texas to help flood victims.

UPDATE: Continued search delayed for Winona hiker who went missing in Yellowstone last fall

Brian King-Henke, the father of a Minnesota native who went missing in Yellowstone last fall, announced on July 6 that the search for his son, Austin King, will resume later this month.

www.kaaltv.com

Aug 5 updated

 

[PrairieWind]

I wonder if there is too much emphasis to get a massive sized search underway and that is proving to be too much to accomplish? They need to get whoever is available to get up there to look now. There are only a couple weeks left to really look this year. Take what is available and go now.

 

[arielilane]

I needed a refresher so posting this info.

Also, it reads like Austin King called a family member from the top of Eagle Peak. Eagle Peak is Yellowstone’s highest peak at 11,358 feet.
Is this a misunderstanding/misprint? I cant see there would be any cell phone connectivity on Eagle Peak due to its remote location and rugged terrain likely to be very limited if nonexistent. But, who knows, that’s not important it just stood out for me. Im so sorry for what Austin’s Dad is going through, he’s putting everything he has into locating his son. Hoping for the best and sending my support to Austin's Dad, search crew and all involved in finding Austin King.

Yellowstone National Park asks public for help locating missing man, 22, last heard from Tuesday | Gephardt Daily

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyoming, Sept. 22, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) -- Yellowstone National Park is asking for the public’s assistance in locating Austin King, a 22-year-old man last heard from on Tuesday when he called a family member from the summit of Eagle Peak in the park’s remote southeast...

gephardtdaily.com

 

[mickey2942]

That is really unfortunately. Summer is slipping away.

True. After September, it is really challenging to trust the weather. And what weather is at 4500 feet, can be completely different at 9,000 feet. Once snow starts, hiking is done in that area. Unless you are ready for fog, slippery slopes, cold temps.

I have been part of the beta testing for T-Mobile satellite service, it is well worth it in the back country. No longer dependent on cell towers for service. You can't always have voice, but texting works via Starlink.

 

[PrairieWind]

True. After September, it is really challenging to trust the weather. And what weather is at 4500 feet, can be completely different at 9,000 feet. Once snow starts, hiking is done in that area. Unless you are ready for fog, slippery slopes, cold temps.

I have been part of the beta testing for T-Mobile satellite service, it is well worth it in the back country. No longer dependent on cell towers for service. You can't always have voice, but texting works via Starlink.

Exactly. And you aren't going to be able to contract a helicopter at that point with out money down. I worry they have been trying to coordinate a massive search that really isnt feasible. During the summer many resources (professional groups) are working fires and rescue. Participating in a recovery operation that can't pin down a date isn't going to draw many people. Round up what volunteers you can and go, keeping track of what is searched and when.