Dad of Yellowstone Worker Who Vanished Last Month Shares Eerie Note Son Left on Mountain: 'I Can’t Feel My Fingers'

Mar. 15, 2025

Austin King.Photo:Yellowstone National Park/Facebook

Yellowstone National Park/Facebook

In the note, which was left in a registry diary entry at the top of Eagle Peak, King, 22, described the intense weather conditions he faced, according to a copy of the message dad Brian King-Henke shared withCowboy State Daily. The message was dated Sept. 17, which is the day King was last heard from.

“I can’t feel my fingers and my glasses are so fogged from the ruthless weather of the mountains. I truly cannot believe I am here after what it took to be here. I endured rain, sleet, hail and the most wind I have ever felt,” King’s letter read. “I could not see Eagle for most of the day due to the most fog I have ever seen in my life."

“I free soloed too many cliffs to get here and walked up to the peak from the connecting peak – AKA not the right path,” he continued, before ending the letter on a positive note: “Life is beautiful, got out and LIVE IT!”

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King, a concession worker, has been missing since failing to show up to his boat pickup following a 7-day backcountry trip to summit Eagle Peak, Yellowstone National Park stated in a previous news release onFacebook.

“[King] was reported overdue to the Yellowstone Interagency Communications Center when he failed to arrive for his boat pickup near Yellowstone Lake’s Southeast Arm on Friday afternoon, Sept. 20,” they added.

He was last heard from on Sept. 17, “when he called friends and family from the summit of Eagle Peak in the park’s remote southeast corner.”

“While on the summit, King described fog, rain, sleet, hail and windy conditions,” officials added.

Yellowstone National Park.Getty Images

Getty Images

Despite ongoing efforts, in an update earlier this month, Yellowstone officials announced that rescue efforts to find King had turned intoa recovery mission, and that the organization was scaling back its efforts.

“After 11 days of searching, Yellowstone National Park will scale back efforts to locate Austin King in the vicinity of Eagle Peak and transition from a rescue to recovery today, Oct. 2,” officials said in a statement.

Park officials did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Speaking withThe Independent, King-Henke said that he remains committed to finding his son, but that the family has “had to take matters into his own hands.”

“I can’t even find the words to explain what we’re going through,” he added.

The most recent update on aGoFundMecreated to help fund search efforts, which has raised nearly $16,000 to date, was shared on Monday, Oct. 14.

In the update, King-Henke said they were sending out a team again that day “in the hopes we can find Austin before the weather changes late Wednesday into Thursday.”

“Thank you all so much for your support. It truly means everything right now,” he added. “I’m truly blessed with all of your kindness.”

source: people.com