Dad and Daughter Vanished Climbing Mt. Hooker, 11 Years Later Their Cliff Camp Is Found!

Garrett Beckwith, 44, and his daughter Della, 19, embarked on a trip that would be a lifelong memory for them both in the summer of 2012.

Both were seasoned climbers and hikers who were drawn to challenging and untamed environments. Mount Hooker, an isolated granite monolith located deep within Wyoming’s Wind River Range, was their target.

Long days, clear air, and the silent connection that develops just miles away from society were all part of the plan for another excursion. However, Della and Garrett never returned.

It’s not for the weak of heart to visit Mount Hooker. It is one of the most impressive summits in the lower 48 states, rising close to 12,500 feet.

Even the most experienced climbers have been humiliated by the 1,800 feet of sheer, ruthless rock on its north face.

Days of hiking across rocky terrain, rivers, and mountain passes—where the weather can turn deadly in an instant—are necessary just to get to the base.

As an experienced outdoor enthusiast, Garrett was aware of all of that. He had brought Della up to revere the forest and navigate it with reverence and discipline.

They were reportedly ready, with the right equipment, supplies, and a prearranged plan to check in following the ascent. However, as they started climbing, all communication ceased.

Family and friends promptly raised the alarm when they failed to return on time.

Helicopters, K-9 units, skilled climbers, and rangers who knew the range better than anyone else were among the search and rescue teams that were sent out.

Over the course of several weeks, the operation scourged secret valleys, ridgelines, and crevasses.

However, there was no sign of the Beckwiths. Not a single piece of evidence to explain what happened, not a rope, not a shred of equipment.

The official search came to an end as the days stretched into months, but the mystery grew even more complex.

According to some rescuers, the two might have collapsed during their climb and were either buried beneath masses of debris or carried away by a rockslide.

Others said they were caught in one of the frequent high-altitude storms that whip the Wind River Range, confusing climbers and causing them to veer off course.

The mystery is further complicated by Mount Hooker’s distant location. Due to the area’s remoteness, even extensive searches frequently overlook important information, and only a small number of climbers attempt it annually. Human footprints are swiftly erased by nature in that type of wilderness.

The absence of resolution turned into a creeping, never-ending pain for Garrett’s wife, Emily, and the rest of their family. She once stated in an interview that “not knowing is its own kind of hell.”

“A part of me still hopes that someone is phoning to let me know that they have located them every time the phone rings. even after all these years have passed.

Garrett was characterized by friends as meticulous, understanding, and intensely protective of his daughter.

One other climber remembered, “He wasn’t reckless.” He was aware of his limitations. If something went wrong, it was because the mountain decided otherwise, not because someone was irresponsible.

On the path, Della, a Colorado State University environmental science major, was her father’s shadow. She was already a skilled climber in her own way and had acquired his passion for nature.

Being able to demonstrate that she could stand shoulder to shoulder with the guy who had taught her everything she knew about survival, fortitude, and respect for nature was both a challenge and a rite of passage for her.

The tale of their disappearance became somewhat of a legend among mountaineers in Wyoming as the years went by.

Theories were rife in online forums and over campfires. Some conjectured that they had reached the top but got ensnared in an unexpected snowstorm while descending.

Others pondered whether they might have sought safety in one of the numerous caverns or overhangs in the area and never emerged. Some even considered more outrageous notions, such as the thought that they had decided to completely flee the world and vanish.

However, that idea was categorically rejected by those who knew them the best. One of Garrett’s climbing companions remarked, “He wouldn’t do that to his family.” Although he liked adventure, his wife and daughter were his greatest loves. He would never purposefully leave them.

Mount Hooker held its secret for eleven long years.

Then, towards the end of 2023, a fresh crew of climbers discovered something remarkable.

They discovered what appeared to be the remains of an old campsite—weather-worn climbing equipment, pieces of rope, and a rusted cooking pot half buried behind a rock ledge—deep on the eastern face of the mountain, close to a seldom-traveled path. Faint remnants of a bivouac, a climbers’ emergency overnight arrangement, may be seen nearby.

After alerting the rangers, an investigative team showed up a few days later. Later, forensic experts verified that the equipment matched Garrett and Della Beckwith’s possessions.

The site implied that, before to catastrophe, they had effectively made great strides along their course. Experts assume they were held down by a storm and may have died from exposure or a fall when trying to descend, based on the site’s state.

Although it wasn’t the conclusion their family had hoped for, it was nonetheless an ending.

Following the revelation, Emily Beckwith issued a succinct statement: “We lived between heartbreak and hope for eleven years.” We are at last at ease. Together, Garrett and Della will always be a part of the wilderness they cherished.

The recovery effort was extremely respectful and careful. Today, a little memorial plaque with the straightforward words, “They went to climb and never came down, but they reached the sky all the same,” is placed close to the foot of Mount Hooker.

The Beckwiths’ story has become a silent reminder to the climbing community of the risk and beauty that coexist in the world’s highlands. Climbers leave modest tokens at the memorial each year, such as letters, carabiners, or flowers.

Mount Hooker is still silent, ruthless, and spectacular as it has always been. The memories of two people who loved it enough to risk all is preserved inside its fissures as its granite face stands unflinchingly against the Wyoming sky.

The fact that they vanished and were found years later suggests that the wilderness has a hallowed and eerie quality. It is difficult to yield. It takes as well as it provides. And those that pursue its edge are aware that the solitude that comes with adventure can occasionally be its price.

That stillness is now everlasting for Garrett and Della Beckwith, but it also demonstrates the closeness between a father and daughter who discovered freedom in the untamed areas that only the courageous dare to ascend, rather than in safety.