Australian hiker William Standish, 28, who vanished while hiking the Continental Divide Trail in Wyoming, has been found dead. The Teton County coroner confirmed that rescuers discovered his body on Wednesday morning in the Wigwams, a series of rocky peaks on the west slope of the Teton mountain range. Investigators believe he likely suffered a fatal fall from a steep ridgeline separating Grand Teton and the Jedediah Smith wilderness.
Discovery and Investigation
Standish was located by a helicopter team that spotted an orange backpack and then saw his remains below the ridge. The Teton County Search and Rescue team stated that evidence suggests he fell from the ridgeline. His family had reported losing contact with him on July 23, after receiving a Garmin GPS check-in without coordinates and a Facebook Messenger video that placed him in the Wigwams.
Standish had been attempting a thru-hike from Canada, the northern terminus of the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail, which passes through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. On July 19, he gave an update from near Old Faithful, describing his planned route through the Tetons, Gros Ventre wilderness, Wind River range, and the Divide Basin.
Search Efforts and Condolences
The Teton County Search and Rescue team expressed sincere condolences to Standish's family and friends, and thanked federal agencies that assisted in the search. The family had initiated the search after not receiving updates from his Garmin device and Facebook Messenger.
Recent Hiking Deaths in North America
Standish's death is among several hiking-related fatalities in North America recently. The Colorado Sun reported that 15-year-old Levi Strobel died after being struck by lightning on Mount Blue Sky on Monday; four others were seriously injured, including his younger brother. In Arizona, Richard Fletcher, 61, died during a hike on Phoenix's South Mountain, with investigators citing a heat-related or medical event. A 62-year-old man died in New Hampshire after a medical emergency on the Welch-Dickey trail in the White Mountains, evacuated by national guard helicopter but later pronounced dead. In Canada's Banff National Park, a woman in her 20s died after falling from a mountain near Marvel Peak on Tuesday, and a 65-year-old from Calgary fell from Mount Temple three days earlier, as reported by CBC.
