YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — The family of Austin King, the 22-year old hiker who was reported missing in Yellowstone National Park last week, remains hopeful that he will be found.
King was hiking on a solo, seven-day trip to Eagle Peak near Old Faithful last week when a storm hit. King called his friends and mother from the top of the peak on Tuesday, but he hasn't been heard from since.
When King didn't arrive at his pick-up location Friday, a search began and has been ongoing.
His parents traveled from Minnesota when they heard the news and are staying at the Lake Hotel in Yellowstone National Park, which is about 10 minutes from where the rescue headquarters have been established.
"I couldn't even think," said Austin's father, Brian King-Henke, Tuesday afternoon about hearing the news. "It was something that you can't fathom."
King moved to Yellowstone National Park and has worked there all summer. Both parents said it was a decision that they encouraged, knowing their son's adventurous personality.
"That's why he moved to Yellowstone," said Austin's mother, Pandy King. "I mean he's been working out here all summer. He gets to live in his camper. He gets to hang out with his friends all night.”
King-Henke said his son's decision to move to Yellowstone was partially his idea.
“I'm the one who told him to come out here," King-Henke said. "You know, I was like, 'You're 22. Go see the United States.'"
But King-Henke said his son bit off more than he could chew with his latest hike, which was planned to be one final trek before returning to Minnesota at the end of the summer.
"He took on something he was not prepared for," King-Henke said.
His mother said she knew how much this final trip meant to him. She received a call from him last Tuesday when he had arrived at his destination.
“This was the pinnacle of his summer because he had to go home in two weeks," King said. "So, this was it. This was the grand adventure for him."
But that phone call was the last anyone has heard from him. Both parents are now in Yellowstone communicating with the search and rescue teams, hoping for good news.
“The helicopters come and go every 15 minutes and that's kind of how I've timed my life by every 15 minutes," King said. "Next helicopter, next helicopter, next helicopter."
Both parents said they refuse to give up on the search.
"Every day they come back with you know, 'We're still looking. We're not giving up. We're still searching,'” King said.
But with each passing day, the nightmare becomes more and more concerning as this family is simply hoping to see their son again.
”It's settling a little bit, but I'm there for his mom and brother," said King-Henke between tears. "So, I can't think that. I'm glad he was doing what he loved.”
