Search and Rescue Launched for Yellowstone Employee Missing After Backcountry Hike

NTD Newsroom
By NTD Newsroom
September 24, 2024US News
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Search and Rescue Launched for Yellowstone Employee Missing After Backcountry Hike
The south entrance of Yellowstone National Park at sunrise in Wyoming on June 22, 2022. (George Frey/Getty Images)

Yellowstone National Park launched a search and rescue mission on Sept. 21 after an employee failed to arrive for his boat pickup following a personal backcountry trip, park officials said.

Austin King, a 22-year-old male concession worker at Yellowstone, missed his boat pick up near Yellowstone Lake’s Southeast Arm on Friday afternoon after his weeklong backcountry trip to summit Eagle Peak, according to the National Park Service (NPS) in a news release.

Search and rescue efforts started early Saturday morning with aerial and ground search operations in the high mountain areas of Eagle Peak and the surrounding areas including Yellowstone Lake. Rescuers found King’s camp and personal belongings that evening in the upper Howell Creek area, the NPS said.

According to the NPS missing person flier, King began his trip on Sept. 14 when he was dropped off by a boat at Terrace Point.

On Sept. 16, King spoke to a backcountry ranger at Howell Creek cabin, which was not on his planned route. He was headed to the upper Howell Creek campsite in the southeast backcountry for the night and planned to climb Eagle Peak the next day, according to the flier.

Officials said that King was last heard from around 7 p.m. on Sept. 17, when he called a family member from the summit of Eagle Peak. The highest point stands at 11,358 feet (3,462 meters) and is located in the park’s remote southeast corner.

“While on the summit, King described fog, rain, sleet, hail, and windy conditions,” the news release stated.

On Sunday, more than 20 searchers on the ground were assisted by two helicopters, unmanned air systems and canine search teams to focus their efforts near Eagle Peak to find King.

Search and rescue teams from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, along with Park and Teton Counties in Wyoming, have searched Eagle Peak, Eagle Pass Mountain Creek Trail, and Eagle Creek Trailhead in Shoshone National Forest for King.

The missing person flier included an image of King and described his identifying features as being 6 feet tall with brown hair and hazel eyes. King weighs about 150 pounds, has tattoos, and was wearing a black sweatshirt, gray pants, and glasses.

People who traveled through the backcountry near Eagle Peak since Sept. 14 may have seen King, the park service said.

NPS has asked the public for help in locating King. Anyone with information on King’s whereabouts can contact the Yellowstone Interagency Communications Center at 307-344-2643.