Eagle Peak - Yellowstone - Missing HIker

There's supposedly a stone circle on top that the Shoshone used for vision quests. I've never been up there to verify.
 
Sounds like it was a week-long solo trip? That's not a trip I'd be brave enough to try solo. Rainy and foggy when he summitted. Probably a pretty sketchy descent.
 
I was out there last week - saw the SAR teams working on my way out. Tuesday evening and pretty much all day Wednesday were not pleasant days - and I was much lower than he was. (We were supposed to be up on the Beartooth Plateau and switched to a less committing trip due to the forecast conditions.) Barely left the tent on Wednesday as it was. Really hate to think about the situation he was in - conditions got much better after Wednesday, but the info released so far doesn't feel optimistic.
 
TheMountainRabbit said:
I was out there last week - saw the SAR teams working on my way out. Tuesday evening and pretty much all day Wednesday were not pleasant days - and I was much lower than he was. (We were supposed to be up on the Beartooth Plateau and switched to a less committing trip due to the forecast conditions.) Barely left the tent on Wednesday as it was. Really hate to think about the situation he was in - conditions got much better after Wednesday, but the info released so far doesn't feel optimistic.
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You didnt go up Hidden Creek past the Falls?? You would be one to blaze the path!!
 
Bob said:
You didnt go up Hidden Creek past the Falls?? You would be one to blaze the path!!
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Sadly Hidden Creek will remain "hidden" for me until at least next July... got a couple fun routes drawn up depending on how much time I can manage. One really relies on finding that way up though... :lol:

Another one actually includes Eagle Peak, so this unfortunate incident resonates.
 
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Wanderlust073 said:
If he was in shorts, sneakers and a tshirt this is most 14er SAR events in CO.
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That's a fact, but I do think he was a bit more prepared than those folks. On the other hand, I think I travel pretty light and I had a fair bit more than it seems he had - the "sweatshirt" raises some red flags for sure. (You can see a picture and description on the NPS release.)

I'm making assumptions here, but it seems like it's a pretty common occurrence each year for concession employees that may have only experienced summer conditions to get into trouble late in the season. My early days recreating in the Rockies I know I didn't fully appreciate how quickly and dramatically conditions can change. Nowadays the "shoulder season" is my favorite, but it is certainly much more unpredictable and unforgiving.

But the most surprising thing to me is that he actually ran into a backcountry ranger... I haven't seen one since 2019.

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Two years ago I was skiing in RMNP and one of us clipped a stump hidden in a thin patch of snow at full speed, coming down hard and resulting in a compound fracture in their forearm. Fortunately everyone was geared for bad situations and we were prepared enough to stabilize, keep them warm, and in a spot where the park could get a sled up to us.

There’s always the ‘shit happens’ factor no matter how well you prepare. Hopefully the kid is ok.
 
I've watched hypothermia hit friends twice, both times on spring river trips. luckily it wasn't that cold and it was clear what was happening so we got them warmed up. but it's very scary watching someone on a difficult trip start behaving irrationally-- that could spiral into much worse consequences.
 
regehr said:
so wait, what happened to him? did I miss a link to more info?
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Still officially unresolved to my knowledge.

But given his most recent known location (Eagle Peak), his discovered camp (upper Howell Creek), and the conditions on Tuesday/Wednesday, I think the projection is that he either got off course and/or suffered an injury and possibly succumbed to exposure/hypothermia.

Visibility would have been very low by Tuesday late afternoon - freezing temperatures, precipitation, and high winds continued through Wednesday night. I was 2k' lower, in a tent, and under tree cover and I had a pretty unpleasant day on Wednesday - but it did get a lot better early AM Thursday and has remained pretty good, so there is some hope.
 
TheMountainRabbit said:
Still officially unresolved to my knowledge.

But given his most recent known location (Eagle Peak), his discovered camp (upper Howell Creek), and the conditions on Tuesday/Wednesday, I think the projection is that he either got off course and/or suffered an injury and possibly succumbed to exposure/hypothermia.

Visibility would have been very low by Tuesday late afternoon - freezing temperatures, precipitation, and high winds continued through Wednesday night. I was 2k' lower, in a tent, and under tree cover and I had a pretty unpleasant day on Wednesday - but it did get a lot better early AM Thursday and has remained pretty good, so there is some hope.
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got it, thanks! I thought maybe all the SAR activity meant they had new information. hopefully the guy is just hunkered down, but I guess that's a really long time to be hunkered down. glad you didn't have a rougher time of it!
 
The Yellowstone Park Facebook page has an update that basically says they are still looking. I tried to copy it, but couldn’t. One thing of note was that searchers are saying there are 6 foot drifts on the peak. It wouldn’t be hard to be down in one of those and not found until spring if then. After a week given the lack of food and shelter and worm clothing, as it was all down in his camp, one tends to get a little bit skeptical about his rescue.
 
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