A Minnesota man who went missing while hiking in July sent his wife a heartbreaking final text message before his body was discovered weeks later.
Grant Gardner, a father-of-two, disappeared on July 29 in Cloud Peak Wilderness after having planned a three-day hike surrounding the Misty Moon Lake area before eventually reaching Cloud Peak, the highest summit at 13,000ft in Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains.
His wife, Lauren Gardner, became concerned when he did not return home, with his vehicle being discovered near the West Ten Sleep trailhead. The search for the 38-year-old officially began on August 1, but it was suspended on August 21 due to a lack of leads.
In an update shared on Facebook, the Big Horn County Sheriff's Office announced a break in the search after a professional climbing team from North Carolina climbed Cloud Peak and spotted a reflection underneath a ledge, which they believed to be a backpack.
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The team notified the Sheriff's office via satellite, and Gardner’s remains were shortly found next to the backpack following a difficult recovery on August 26.
The Sheriff's Office announced in their statement: "Grant Gardner’s remains were located near the backpack. Gardner was wearing clothing that very closely matched the terrain he was climbing in.
"A difficult/dangerous recovery was conducted and Grant Gardner is being brought home to his family."
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They added: "Special thanks to a spectacular professional group of technical climbers who were in exactly the right spot, at the right moment, with the right light, to notice a small piece of fabric on a pack that was otherwise undetectable, for selflessly aborting their plans and working with SAR Teams to find Gardner, providing closure to his family.
"While it’s not the outcome we hoped for, we are hopeful this will provide much needed peace and closure to the family."
The Sheriff's Office also shared details of the hiker’s phone records, which showed his last contact to be a message to his wife.
According to the statement, Gardner's last message was 'letting her know he had made it to the summit', the Sheriff’s office said.
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Sadly, they reported that the text message indicated that the 'climb was more taxing than he expected, and he was tired'.
After a rescue team finally recovered Gardner's body, he was brought back home to his family.
In an emotional Facebook post, Gardner's wife thanked everyone who looked for him and paid tribute to the 'love of her life', penning: "We are trying to find peace knowing that aside from being with his family, his favorite place to be was in nature.
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"I want to again thank every person who helped look for him. I know how emotionally and physically draining the last 3 weeks have been for everyone. I’m eternally indebted to the kindness of strangers. I know we all wish this ended differently."
The Big Horn County Sheriff's Office has yet to confirm the cause and manner of Gardner’s death. However, Sheriff Ken Blackburn believes he fell in a tragic accident.
A GoFundMe page has been organized to support Gardner’s family, with it so far raising more than $67,000 of its $100,000 goal. If you would like to donate, you can do so here.
Ffion Jarvis