Overview
- Search-and-rescue teams located 26-year-old Neil Gehring on the northwest slope of Mount Appleton and recovered his body on Sunday, Sept. 13.
- Gehring left the Madison Falls Trailhead on Aug. 31 with a permit showing a cross-country route from Boulder Lake to Appleton Pass and was reported overdue on Sept. 2.
- Park staff, Seattle Mountain Rescue and volunteers spent about two weeks searching dense, steep terrain using ground teams, aircraft, dogs, drones and AI-assisted scanning before changing tactics to follow new clues on Sept. 11.
- Searchers said additional cellphone location data was analyzed and led them to Gehring’s location; his remains were transferred to the Clallam County Coroner’s Office and an official cause of death has not been released.
- The National Park Service is investigating and asks anyone with information to contact its tip line or email, and officials reiterated guidance about hiking with companions and proper backcountry preparation.