A Yellowstone worker left a chilling note at the peak of a mountain right before vanishing.
A rescue mission is underway for the missing Yellowstone worker Austin King, who mysteriously disappeared on his solo hike in which he scaled the 11,361-foot Eagle Peak in Wyoming on September 17.
The 22-year-old last spoke to his family from the summit of Eagle Peak around 7:00PM local time before all communication with the Minnesota native was lost, according to the National Park Service.
Just a day prior to that interaction, he also spoke to a backcountry ranger near Howell Creek.
Austin's father, Brian, has now shared a now-harrowing note his son shared on the last day he was heard from before he vanished.
“I can’t feel my fingers and my glasses are so fogged from the ruthless weather of the mountains,” Austin wrote in a letter that was shared with Cowboy State Daily.
"I truly cannot believe I am here after what it took to be here," he continued, adding: "I endured rain, sleet, hail and the most wind I have ever felt."
He also stated that couldn’t see Eagle Peak for most of the day from the densest fog he had ever seen.
"I free soloed too many cliffs to get here and walked up to the peak from the connecting peak – AKA not the right path. I am 22 years old and I will never forget today [for] the rest of my life."
The note ended with a more positive message, which has now been described as heartbreaking in the wake of his disappearance.
"Life is beautiful, got out and LIVE IT!" he said, before signing his name and sketching a smiley face.
An active search for the concession stand worker started on September 22 with emergency workers being sent on the ground and in the air to see if they could locate Austin, but 11 days later, the mission shifted from a rescue to a recovery one.
"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," an update by the National Park Service read.
"To date, more than 100 personnel including two helicopters, search dog teams, ground teams with spotting scopes, trackers, and a drone have searched more than 3,225 miles by air and ground at elevations ranging from 11,350 feet to 8,400 feet.
"Unfortunately, they have not found any definitive clues as to King’s current whereabouts," the statement added.
A map of the routes taken by rescue teams as well as members of the general public who offered to help was also included showing the vast scale of the search.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family continue to have the funds to search for their missing loved one with the target of $10,000 being achieved thanks to 149 donations.
An update shared on the page on Saturday (October 13) read: "We are currently setting up a Basecamp in Eagle Creek campground. We have guys heading in today and tomorrow more teams going out.
"Thank you all of you for everything."
Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time and we hope they get answers about Austin's whereabouts very soon.
