Father and Daughter Vanished on Mount Hooker — 11 Years Later, a Discovery Changed Everything…
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Vanished on Mount Hooker: The Father and Daughter Who Defied the Mountain
Sometimes, the mountain doesn’t take lives with noise and violence. It swallows them whole, leaving behind silence and questions that echo for years. This is the story of Colin and Riley Beckwith, a devoted father and his 19-year-old daughter, who vanished on Wyoming’s Mount Hooker in 2013 — and how, 11 years later, a discovery changed everything.
The Vanishing
On a late August morning in 2013, Colin Beckwith, a 45-year-old structural engineer, and his daughter Riley, a bold and talented climber of 19, said goodbye to their family and drove toward the Wind River Range. Their destination was Mount Hooker, a monolithic granite face known for its brutal climbing conditions and technical routes. Colin was not your average thrill-seeker. Obsessed with safety and precision, every climb he undertook was meticulously planned and documented. He had climbed Mount Hooker before, but this trip was special—it was the first time he was bringing Riley on a major expedition, a bonding adventure before she returned to college.
Before they left, Colin set a specific check-in time with his wife Heather: 7 p.m., two days later. If she didn’t hear from them, something was wrong.
The First Signs of Trouble
The check-in time came and went without a call. Heather tried not to panic, hoping the satellite phone battery had died or they were just out of range. But as days passed with no word, fear grew. On the second day, Heather contacted the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Miles Corbin arrived at the Big Sandy trailhead where Colin and Riley had parked their dark green Ford F-150. The truck was there, covered in dust and pine needles, as if the owners would return any minute. But inside, something deeply troubling was found: two fully charged satellite phones left behind in the glove compartment—their only lifeline out of the wilderness.
This was no small oversight. Colin, known for his careful planning, wouldn’t leave such vital equipment behind unless something had already gone terribly wrong.
The Search and the Storm
The missing persons report escalated into a full-scale emergency. Helicopters, ground teams, volunteers, and rescue experts scoured Mount Hooker and its surrounding terrain for any sign of the Beckwiths. For ten days, they searched relentlessly but found nothing—no gear, no trail, no trace.
Then, a brutal early-season storm swept through the range. Sleet turned to snow, forcing search teams to retreat. The mountain had swallowed Colin and Riley whole, leaving behind only silence.
The Years of Waiting
Hope gradually faded. Colin’s old climbing partner, Declan Hayes, flew in with a group of elite climbers to search lesser-known routes, places too obscure for official teams. But even their efforts came up empty.
Years passed. Heather left Riley’s room untouched. Posters and books remained on the walls. Colin’s tools hung neatly in the garage, gathering dust. The two satellite phones sat locked away, their batteries long dead.
In 2016, a backpacker found a climbing nut wedged in a remote creek. It matched Colin’s gear but without serial numbers, the lead went cold.
In 2020, rumors surfaced online, suggesting Colin had financial troubles and might have harmed Riley before disappearing to escape debts. The theory went viral, but investigators found no evidence to support it. The Beckwiths’ disappearance remained a baffling mystery.
The Discovery That Changed Everything
Then, in 2024, 11 years after the climb, two young climbers, Ava Monroe and Liam Bishop, set out on a bold new route on Mount Hooker called the Portal Ledge. Neither was searching for answers—they were elite sport climbers seeking fresh challenges on unexplored faces.
Days into their ascent, Liam spotted something odd: a rusted bolt drilled into the granite. Then more bolts, a traverse leading to a shadowed alcove—a hanging setup, weathered and ancient, suspended thousands of feet above the ground.
Inside an old sleeping bag, coiled rope, a dry bag, and something chilling—a human skull.
Ava nearly slipped in shock. They took photos and coordinates, then climbed down nervously as the sun set. Ava called 911 with trembling hands.
The Ledge of Silence
Within 24 hours, a specialized rescue crew was flown in. A helicopter hovered as ropes and pulleys were lowered onto the cliff face Ava and Liam had climbed. The team rappelled down with surgical precision, navigating a jagged wall untouched for over a decade.
What they recovered began to explain the haunting mystery.
The skull belonged to Colin Redford, confirmed by dental records. Nearby were fragments of bone, fabric, two waterlogged journals, and a cracked GoPro camera. But there was no sign of Riley.
The Last Climb
The recovered journal was Colin’s field notebook, filled with sketches, weather notes, and personal thoughts up to the final week.
The last entries were chilling:
August 21, 2013: “Rude due to ice. Took southern bypass. Unexpected exposure. Riley shaken but managing. She’s strong.”
August 22, 2013: “Storm moved in fast. No signal. Took shelter on ledge. One bolt loose. Secured setup. Rations tight.”
August 23, 2013: “Riley says she saw something last night. Shadow or movement. Neither of us slept.”
August 24, 2013: “If this is the last thing I write, tell Heather we tried. Riley left this morning, said she’d go for help. I stayed. My knee can’t move.”
Riley’s journal, found later, echoed her father’s notes but grew desperate after August 24th:
“Dad’s not doing well. His knee is worse. I hate this mountain.”
“No trail. Wind howling. Water low. Miss Mom. Miss home.”
“I saw the lake. I was close, but I slipped. Ankle broken.”
“Tell them I tried. I wanted to live.”
The last line: “Dad, I made it farther than we thought.”
The Final Search and Discovery
A renewed search focused on the southern bypass route Colin had documented but was never part of the original search. The path was treacherous, with narrow ledges and blind crevices.
Two days into the search, a ranger found a rusted titanium bracelet engraved with “Colin and Riley Hooker 2013.” It had likely been lost during a descent and exposed recently by rockslides and melting snow.
Further along, under a slab of fallen granite, the ranger found skeletal remains partially protected beneath the stone. Nearby was a small pack containing a compass, energy bars, and Riley’s journal.
Medical examiners concluded Riley had likely frozen to death three or four days after leaving Colin. She had descended nearly 200 feet, navigating dangerous cliffs with no rope or food, even with a broken ankle. She came within two miles of the trail.
What Went Wrong?
Experts later realized the original search had focused on traditional routes—the eastern couloir and tower face—but Colin and Riley had taken a lesser-known southern traverse, not documented on modern maps.
The ledge where Colin was found was less than 900 feet from the originally searched zones but had been missed due to assumptions, weather interference, and human error.
An early storm buried clues under snow and ice, grounding helicopters and masking thermal signatures. By the time snow melted, erosion had shifted landmarks.
A Legacy of Strength and Endurance
After the case closed, Wyoming’s search and rescue protocols were rewritten. Search grids expanded to include off-map routes. AI-based mapping systems analyzed journal entries and GPS data to predict risk paths. All unmarked cliff faces in open cases were flagged for review.
Heather Beckwith, though grieving, pushed for change rather than blame.
Ava and Liam returned in 2025 to retrace the route, this time to honor Colin and Riley. Near the ledge, they found a faint inscription carved into the rock: “We stayed together.”
It was a message from Riley, a simple truth etched in stone—a testament to their bond and courage.
Remembering Colin and Riley
Mount Hooker now hosts a plaque near the trailhead honoring Colin and Riley Beckwith—climbers, dreamers, explorers who stayed together until the end.
Their journals were published as a memorial exhibit in Lander, Wyoming, inspiring climbers with lessons in caution, preparation, and love for the wilderness.
A nonprofit, The Ledge Project, was founded in Riley’s name, offering gear and mentorship to girls entering outdoor sports. Heather serves on its board, finding peace in knowing her family’s story has sparked hope and change.
Reflection
Colin and Riley Beckwith didn’t die because they were reckless. They died because the mountain is unforgiving. But they didn’t go out alone, and they never gave up.
Their story reminds us of the fragile balance between human endurance and nature’s power—and the unbreakable bond of family.
So, what would you have done in Riley’s place? Could you have descended that mountain? Their legacy invites us to reflect on courage, love, and the will to survive against all odds.
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