YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — A more favorable weather pattern is allowing search and rescue teams to expand the search for a missing hiker from Minnesota who went missing after scaling the highest peak in Yellowstone.
National Park Service (NPS) officials say 22-year-old Austin King-Henke - a concessions worker at Yellowstone National Park who grew up in Winona - embarked on a solo hike Sept. 14, and last Tuesday called a family member from the summit of Eagle Peak, the highest point in Yellowstone. During the call King-Henke described challenging weather that included wind, fog, rain, sleet and hail.
When he failed to show up for a boat scheduled to pick him on Friday, Sept. 20, King-Henke was listed as missing, and an all-out search was launched to find him.
Since Saturday, 85 search personnel, two helicopters, drones and a search dog team have focused on what the NPS calls a "high-elevation, expansive and hazardous area." Team members report accumulations of snow and ice, including 6-foot drifts, on Eagle Peak. The park service says the search and rescue operation will continue their quest to find King-Henke over the next few days as a favorable weather forecast improves conditions.
Pictures released by the NPS show the terrain rescue teams are facing, trails and craggy rock faces in an area described as among the most remote in the lower 48 states.
King-Henke grew up in Winona and graduated from Cotter High School before heading west. His Facebook page reflects a young man who loves adventure, with pictures and descriptions of mountains and remote areas he has explored. He is described as 6 feet tall, 150 lbs. with brown hair and hazel eyes. King-Henke was last seen wearing glasses, a black sweatshirt and gray pants.
Anyone who sees Austin King-Henke or knows what happened to him is asked to call the Yellowstone Interagency Communications System at 307-344-2643.