Overview

• A professional team from North Carolina noticed a reflective glint near a high-altitude camp on Cloud Peak and reported a likely backpack to law enforcement.
• Search-and-rescue teams reached the site at daylight and located Grant Gardner’s remains near the pack on the mountain’s northern route.
• Officials described the extraction as difficult and dangerous, noting Gardner’s clothing closely matched the surrounding terrain.
• The recovery occurred within one of the primary search zones that had already been surveyed by air, highlighting the challenge of the mission.
• Gardner last contacted his wife after summiting on July 29, with phone records placing him at the top around 7 p.m., a timing that raised concerns about navigating steep, hazardous terrain after dark.