2 hikers, a father and daughter, found dead after vanishing on Maine's Mount Katahdin
Two hikers, a father and his daughter, have been found dead after attempting to hike to the summit of Maine's highest mountain, officials said Wednesday.
Tim Keiderling, 58, and Esther Keiderling, 28, left their campground in Baxter State Park at around 10:15 a.m. EST on Sunday, intending to hike to the 5,269-foot summit of Mount Katahdin, to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Park rangers launched a search for the Keiderlings Monday morning, after discovering their car still parked in a day-use lot on the grounds, according to the department. The rangers searched multiple hiking trails, including the Katahdin Tablelands where the hikers were last seen, but found no signs of the father or daughter.
Officials said their probe expanded Tuesday to include 25 game wardens, the Maine Army National Guard, multiple search and rescue teams and K-9 crews, which joined three state Forest Service helicopters surveying the area from above and ferrying ground crews up and down the mountain. Park rangers also helped with the ground search.
The K-9 search team found Tim Keiderling's body at around 2:45 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Baxter State Park in a social media post.
The search for Ester Keiderling resumed early Wednesday, according to the director of Baxter State Park, after even a thermal imaging device failed to detect any trace of her on the mountain the previous night.
She was found dead by search teams in a wooded area of the Tablelands around 1 p.m. Wednesday, Baxter State Park .
"We understand that many of our social media followers share in our profound sadness for the family and friends of Tim and Esther Keiderling," the park said. "We appreciate your support for their loved ones and the members of the search teams during this incredibly difficult time. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Tim and Esther Keiderling's family and friends."
The park's describes the Katahdin Trails, which end at the summit of the mountain, as "a very strenuous climb," regardless of the trail hikers choose to follow in order to get there. It also that 80% of search and rescues in the park happen on hikers' descents rather than their ascents, and more than 75% of the most serious incidents, including deaths, happen because hikers left their trail.
