“], “filter”: { “nextExceptions”: “img, blockquote, div”, “nextContainsExceptions”: “img, blockquote, a.btn, a.o-button”} }”>
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
>”,”name”:”in-content-cta”,”type”:”link”}}”>Download the app.
Rescue personnel are searching for a missing 28-year-old hiker on Mount Katahdin after finding her father deceased on the iconic peak Tuesday, two days after the pair set out to climb it.
On Sunday, 58-year-old Tim Keiderling and his daughter, Esther, set off from Abol Campground to hike to the summit of Mount Katahdin. The last sighting of the duo took place at about 10:15 am. On Monday morning, Baxter State Park officials began searching for the pair after realizing that their vehicle had parked in a day-use lot overnight.
They quickly arranged a search party to scour the Abol Trail, the Hunt Trail, and the Katahdin Tablelands but saw no sign of the Keiderlings.
Authorities expanded the search this morning, adding 30 game wardens to the operation including members of the Maine Warden Service Search and Rescue Team and the Maine Warden Service K9 team. The Maine Forest Service sent three helicopters to scour the mountain, while Maine National Guard joined the search with a Blackhawk and a Lakota helicopter, the latter equipped with infrared imaging.
This afternoon, Baxter State Park officials announced on Facebook that a K9 team had located the body of Tim Keiderling on the Tableland, near the summit of Katahdin at approximately 2:45 p.m. Efforts to locate Esther Keiderling are still in effect.
Mountain weather on Katahdin is known to be mercurial. Conditions over the weekend were predominantly in the 50s, with sporadic rain and wind. The summit maintained similar conditions through Monday and this morning.
Baxter State Park is asking anyone who may have information on the Keiderlings’ disappearance or Esther’s location to contact Houlton State Police at 207-532-5400. Katahdin’s trails are closed until further notice.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
