20-year-old hiker missing after being swept away while crossing river, officials say

UPDATE: The missing hiker’s body was recovered by search crews on July 23, according to Red Lodge Fire Rescue. Officials identified him as Dylan Honnoll, who was described as having “spent a lifetime in the outdoors with his family and friends.”

The original story is below:

Search and rescue teams are scouring the Beartooth wilderness in Montana for a missing 20-year-old hiker.

On July 12, the Montana State University student from Minnesota was hiking on the Beaten Path with a friend when they arrived at the edge of East Rosebud Creek, Red Lodge Fire Rescue said in a July 15 Facebook post.

In this particular spot, the water’s “creek” label is a bit of a misnomer. Flowing from Rimrock Lake, East Rosebud behaves more like a river.

“Currently, the river is moving very fast and very rough,” Red Lodge Fire Chief Tom Kuntz told KTVQ about the water conditions there.

In that exact spot, there used to be a bridge, but it was destroyed by floods in 2022.

The hikers preferred not to turn back and decided to traverse the creek. As they did so, authorities said one student was walking across a log when he lost his footing and fell into the stream.

“The area where he fell in is right above some significant rapids and cliffs where there’s drop-offs,” Kuntz told KTVQ. “He was quickly washed down the river and out of sight from his friend.”

In the hours that followed, a search and rescue team rushed to the area for air and ground searches.

“A few items were spotted during the flight however the items are located in an area which is very difficult to access on foot,” Red Lodge Fire Rescue said. “The area remains a focus of the operation.”

If you have any information about the whereabouts of the missing hiker, you can call the sheriff’s office at 406-446-1234.

This story was originally published July 17, 2024 at 10:39 AM with the headline "20-year-old hiker missing after being swept away while crossing river, officials say."