Editor’s Note: The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office originally reported that the call from the summit came at 9 p.m. A subsequent announcement updated the call time to 7 p.m. That change has been reflected below.
JACKSON, Wyo. — On Monday, Aug. 4, Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) deployed its helicopter to help in the search for a missing hiker in the Cloud Peak Wilderness area in the Bighorn Mountain Range.
On August 1, the Big Horn County Wyoming Sheriff’s Office received information regarding an overdue hiker in the wilderness area and immediately began a search and rescue operation.
The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office wrote via Facebook that Grant Gardner, of Minnesota, had planned an approximately three-day hike through the Misty Moon Lake area, with plans to summit Cloud Peak and return to his vehicle afterwards. Gardner made contact with his wife on the evening of July 29, letting her know he’d made it to the summit. Since that time there has not been any contact with Gardner.
According to the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, Gardner’s vehicle was located by searchers in the parking lot of the West Ten Sleep trailhead where he began his hike. The hiking log at the trailhead revealed he’d entered the wildness area as he had indicated in his hiking plan. Phone records showed he summited the 13,000-foot Cloud Peak Summit at around 7 p.m. on July 29, and was preparing to head to a lower elevation for the night.
“The late hour of this summit was concerning to search managers,” the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office wrote. “A text sent to his wife at the summit indicated the climb was more taxing than he expected and he was tired.”
On the morning of August 2, search and rescue teams from South Big Horn County, Sheridan County, Johnson County, Washakie County and Park County Wyoming, along with other rotor aircraft from First Flight of Wyoming, Wyoming Army National Guard and private aircraft continued search efforts from the previous day.
By Monday morning, TCSAR had arrived on the scene with their helicopter and special electronic device tracking equipment, including Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) tracking equipment.
The search for Gardner will continue in the Cloud Peak Wilderness area with multiple search agencies. Helicopters, planes, foot teams and tracking dogs are all being utilized in an attempt to locate Gardner, per the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office noted that conditions “are extreme and very challenging,” causing two rescuers to need medical care during the search. In addition to high altitude and terrain challenges, weather patterns including winds, thunder and lightning storms have made search efforts difficult at various times of the day.
Gardner has been entered as a missing person per state statute. The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office is requesting anyone who might have had contact with Gardner to report to the Sheriff’s Office at (307) 568-2324 or the Wyoming Missing Person Tip line on the Wyoming DCI website.
“At this time our hearts go out the family,” the Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook. “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.”
