Authorities in Wyoming are searching for a Minnesota hiker who went missing after summiting a more-than-13,000-foot peak last week.
The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office in north-central Wyoming said Grant Gardner texted his wife on the night of July 29, to let her know he reached the top of Cloud Peak.
Gardner “indicated the climb was more taxing than he expected and he was tired,” the sheriff’s office said, and he was planning to head to a lower elevation for the night. He hasn’t been heard from since. Officials said they’re concerned that Gardner reached the summit so late in the evening.
Gardner’s vehicle was found at the trailhead where he started the approximately three-day hike. He recorded his entry into the wilderness area in the hiking log at that trailhead.
Search and rescue teams started looking for Gardner on Saturday morning, and those efforts continue on the ground and from the air.
“The search is rapidly evolving and ongoing in the Cloud Peak Wilderness area,” the sheriff’s office said Monday. “In addition to high altitude and terrain challenges, difficult weather patterns including winds, thunder and lightning storms have made search efforts difficult at various times of the day.”
At least two people involved in the search have been injured.
Authorities are asking that anyone with information on Gardner’s whereabouts to contact the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office at (307) 568-2324.
“Our hearts go out the family,” the sheriff’s office said. “We are asking for your thoughts and prayers on their behalf, and for the searchers who are risking life safety in this beautiful but unforgiving wilderness area.”
