Climbing
It has been more than two weeks since the last sign of life has been received from Austin King, who went missing after climbing Eagle Peak, Wyoming. King, a 22-year-old Minnesota native, had been working at Xanterra Parks and Resorts in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, for the summer. He set out on a one-week solo climb of Eagle Peak, the highest point in Yellowstone National Park, but failed to make his pre-arranged boat pickup near Yellowstone Lake’s Southeast Arm on the afternoon of September 20.
At this point, the 22-year-old was reported missing, and Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Park County, and Teton County search and rescue teams started the search for King on Saturday, September 21, in the vicinity of Eagle Peak, Eagle Pass Mountain Creek Trail, and Eagle Creek Trailhead in the Shoshone National Forest. Rescuers discovered King’s camp and personal effects Saturday evening in the upper Howell Creek area. However, after 11 days of searching, no trace of King has been found, and Yellowstone National Park announced yesterday, October 2, that it would scale back efforts to locate Austin King in the vicinity of Eagle Peak and transition from rescue to recovery. Until yesterday, more than 100 personnel, including two helicopters, search dog teams, ground teams with spotting scopes, trackers, and a drone, have searched more than 3,225 miles by air and ground at elevations ranging from 11,350 feet to 8,400 feet.
“Despite significant search efforts over the past week and a half, we have not been able to locate Austin. Although we will continue to hope for the best, I want to extend my deepest sympathies to Austin’s family, friends and colleagues. I also want to thank the teams from Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, and Park and Teton counties, Wyoming, who have all worked tirelessly to find Austin in some of the most difficult and remote terrain in Yellowstone.”
— Superintendent Cam Sholly
The last time friends and family heard from Austin King was on Tuesday, September 17, when he called several people from the summit of Eagle Peak in the park’s remote southeast corner. During his calls, King described fog, rain, sleet, hail, and windy conditions. He admitted being cold but sounded excited after having reached the peak, according to his best friend Desmond McGroarty.
King has been described as six feet tall, weighing around 160 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. He typically wears glasses and was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt and gray pants. Limited search efforts will continue into the foreseeable future as conditions warrant. Yellowstone National Park does not expect to provide further updates unless a notable change occurs.
Austin King’s father, Brian King, shared on his social media account that he keeps hoping his son will be found alive, stating, “I will not give up until I get the call that says different of him being alive.” Search conditions have been favorable in the last five days, however, with winter approaching, chances of finding Austin King are eroding further.
