Rescuers in Yellowstone National Park are searching for Austin King, a 22-year-old park concession worker who failed to check in after a solo trek around Eagle Peak. King was last heard from on Tuesday when he described challenging weather conditions at the summit. Search efforts involving more than 20 ground searchers, helicopter crews, drones, and canine teams have been unsuccessful so far.
King embarked on his trek on September 14, and was supposed to be picked up by a boat at Yellowstone Lake’s Southeast Arm on Friday. On Saturday, search crews found an encampment and personal items belonging to King in the upper Howell Creek area. His 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, displaying Minnesota plates, is also associated with him, but its whereabouts are unknown.
Temperatures in Yellowstone National Park have been cold, with lows in the high 20s and highs struggling to reach 60 degrees. King is described as 6 feet tall, 160 pounds, with hazel eyes, wearing glasses, a black sweatshirt, and gray pants. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the Yellowstone Interagency Communications Center.
Rescue efforts have focused on the Yellowstone Lake area and Eagle Peak, both popular sites in the 2.2 million-acre park. Crews from Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, as well as Park and Teton counties in Wyoming, have been involved in the search. The National Park Service is leading the search for King, who has been missing since failing to check in at the end of his trek.
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