Missing climbers on mountain in Denali National Park likely fell
Searchers in Alaska continue to look for two men who officials said Tuesday most likely fell climbing a mountain in Denali National Park.
Eli Michel, 34, and Nafiun Awal, 32, are missing off the Moose’s Tooth, which has a peak of 10,300 feet. They were reported missing Sunday, the National Park Service said.
Officials believe the two men most likely fell Friday, the park service said in a statement.
An empty tent was spotted, and boot tracks led up to a slab avalanche site, it said.
“Several pieces of the climber’s equipment were also sighted along the 3,200-foot fall line, including two ice axes and a climbing helmet,” the statement said.
Denali National Park, which covers 6 million acres, is famous for Denali, a 20,310-foot-tall mountain that is the tallest peak in North America.
The Moose’s Tooth is in Ruth Gorge, which, according to the park, is known for vertical rock and ice walls.
Michel, of Columbia City, Indiana, and Awal, of Seattle, last checked in with a friend at 5 a.m. Friday using a satellite communication device, the park service has said.
Searchers found their skis and tracks from where they switched to crampons. The tracks went into an area of a small avalanche, it said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
