He Climbed Yellowstone's Highest Peak, Disappeared

Austin King reached the summit of Eagle Peak, the highest point in Yellowstone National Park, on Sept. 17. He celebrated the accomplishment in calls to family and friends, who are now hoping to hear that King made it off the mountain alive. "He was super ecstatic," friend Desmond McGroarty tells Cowboy State Daily. "He did say his hands were cold and stuff, but it sounded like he just didn't care, because he was so excited he made it to the top." The 22-year-old Minnesota native, a concession worker at the Wyoming park, hasn't been heard from since, though he was due to return from his week-long excursion on Friday, per USA Today.

A search began Saturday, shortly before King's personal effects were discovered at a wilderness camp. Authorities are asking anyone who may have met King to reach out. Meanwhile, helicopters, drones, and dog teams are scouring the area. King took a boat to Terrace Point on the eastern shore of Yellowstone Lake on Sept. 14, intending to travel some six miles to the Absaroka Range, with Eagle Peak (11,358 feet) at its highest point. On Sept. 16, he met a park ranger at a cabin on Howell Creek, which wasn't part of his intended route, saying he planned to camp in the area overnight. The following day, King called a family member around 7pm, announcing his successful summit of Eagle Peak. He also described fog, rain, sleet, hail and high winds, according to the National Park Service.

He was due to be picked up by a boat on Friday, but failed to appear. His belongings were found in the upper Howell Creek area on Saturday evening, but there was no sign of King himself, per KARE. "Search and rescue have been doing everything they can find clues" to help with "narrowing the search," King's father writes on a GoFundMe page. The 22-year-old is described as 6'0", 150 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes typically seen behind glasses. He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt and gray pants and carrying a dark-colored backpack. Anyone who may have encountered King is asked to call the Yellowstone Interagency Communications Center. (More missing person stories.)