The father of a hiker missing in Yellowstone has revealed his heartbreaking decision to go back home to go back to Minnesota without his son while he “figures out” his options.
Austin King, 22, was last in contact with his mom and dad on September 17 after he climbed to the summit of Eagle Peak in Wyoming — Yellowstone’s highest mountain. But after reaching the summit of the 11,372 feet peak, he has not been seen or heard from since.
Speaking with The Independent on Wednesday, Austin’s father Brian King-Henke said: “I’m trying to figure out what my other options are. While dealing with life back here.
“It was the hardest decision I ever had to make to leave my boy.”
King-Henke said multiple obstacles – including halted search plans, mechanical issues with planes, and heavy snow – have forced him to abandon Yellowstone and the prospect of finding his son.
He has now returned home to Minnesota to try and balance normal life while grappling with the harsh reality that his son has not been found.
The decision comes after a volunteer rescue team had their rescue plan – which aimed to take experienced climbers to Eagle Peak – turned down by officials on October 14.
King-Henke revealed the rescue teams were given a hard “no” by the US Forest Service just before 10pm on October 13 – hours before the voluntary climbers were set to fly out at 8am the next day.
He said an accumulation of the helicopter rescue being refused, coupled with two rescue planes that “were set up to fly me over Eagle Peak” having mechanical issues, and a heavy bout of fresh snow, left him stumped with what to do next.
“I decided to head back to Minnesota because between the planned operation to have guys looking in an area of interest and [the time it] would have [taken] to finally get someone up there with a drone up there – which they had two days before the weather changed and having the two planes down – I ran out of options.
“Plus the snow that came in made it [difficult] – so we aren’t able to get on the mountain or over Eagle Pass to get to the other side.”
Austin’s father released a final note written by his son that was left in a book at the summit.
In the note, the 22-year-old revealed the struggle he endured while climbing the hazardous peak back on September 17.
He wrote: “I am 22 years old and I will never forget today the rest of my life.
“Life is beautiful, get out and LIVE IT!”
At present, Yellowstone National Park authorities are treating the case as a “recovery” rather than a “rescue” mission, as revealed previously.
Yellowstone National Park, which spans parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, has been contacted for comment.
