Search for Missing Minnesota Hiker Ends After Body Found on Cloud Peak

The weeks-long search for a Minnesota man lost in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains has ended in tragedy.

The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Thursday that the body of Grant Gardner, 38, was recovered from Cloud Peak earlier this week. Gardner had summited the 13,166-foot peak on July 29, texting his wife that he’d made it—but also admitting the climb had taken more out of him than expected. That was the last anyone heard from him.

On Tuesday evening, a group of experienced mountaineers from North Carolina spotted a faint reflection while setting up camp at over 11,000 feet on Cloud Peak’s northern slope. The glint turned out to be a scrap of fabric from Gardner’s backpack.

They immediately alerted authorities by satellite and waited on the mountain overnight, aborting their own climb of nearby Mount Woolsey. By Wednesday morning, Search and Rescue crews reached the site and confirmed Gardner’s body was nearby.

Sheriff Ken Blackburn said the recovery was “difficult and dangerous,” but his remains were flown out and will be returned to his family in Minnesota after the county coroner completes an investigation.

Gardner’s disappearance triggered a massive search on Aug. 1. Crews battled rugged terrain, poor weather, and high altitude, deploying helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, electronic tracking, and even help from Teton County SAR and the Wyoming National Guard.

Search teams combed the mountains for 20 days before officially suspending the operation on Aug. 20. Blackburn called that decision “heartbreaking,” but admitted survival odds had long since run out.

Sheriff Blackburn said Gardner’s body was wedged between rocks, his clothing blending almost seamlessly with the alpine terrain. Multiple aerial sweeps had flown over the area during the search, but nothing had stood out until the climbers’ sharp eyes caught the reflection.

“In that wilderness, you can be right next to something and not see it,” Blackburn said. “It took the right people, at the right time, with the right light.”

While the official cause of death is still under review, Blackburn said the evidence points to a tragic accident.

He praised the North Carolina mountaineers for giving up their own climb to help rescue teams.

“Without them, we may never have found him,” Blackburn said.

Though not the ending anyone hoped for, officials said they are grateful Gardner can now be brought home.

“While it’s not the outcome we prayed for,” Blackburn added, “we hope this brings his family some peace and closure.”

With input from Sheridan Media, Cowboy State Daily, Oil City News, and K2 Radio.