The wife and family of Grant Gardner are still holding out faith that he will return home to them. Although the missing hiker from Minnesota has not been heard from since July 29, no one has given up hope yet. Instead, his wife is confident that the skills he has acquired over the years will bring him back to her.
Family Of Missing Hiker From Minnesota's Story
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Grant Gardner is a 38-year-old man from Minnesota. His wife, Lauren Gardner, describes him as a "skillful and experienced outdoorsman," according to Cowboy State Daily. Last month, Gardner decided to take on a solo hike up the ascent of Cloud Peak. He planned the three-day hike around the Misty Moon Lake area and successfully reached the 13,166-foot summit.
We know this because of a text that he sent to his lovely wife, Laruen. Once he had reached his destination, he sent a text to his wife, letting her know that he had reached the peak. However, it was during that time that he shared other details with her as well. Things like that, the climb was "more taxing" than he anticipated. He expressed that it was "straight uphill on boulders." However, his wife was still not too concerned. After all, her husband was experienced with the outdoors.
Although as hours turned into days, the fear began to build. Then, tensions only rose when a body that was found in Montana was wrongly reported as Grant Gardner. Luckily, the confusion has since been cleared up, and experts confirmed the body belonged to another individual.
How They Are Still Holding Out Hope
Many people would have given up hope. After two weeks in the wilderness with no contact, many would be presumed dead. However, the family of the missing hiker from Minnesota is still holding out hope. As are search and rescue teams. When speaking with Cowboy State Daily, Lauren Gardner shared why her hopes are still so high.
"He solo hikes, and he's been hiking for over a decade," she told the outlet. "He's used to this stuff, and he's very detail-oriented." Indeed, having a background and skill set in hiking and nature could mean the difference between life and death when trapped in the wilderness. While the odds of finding Gardner alive decrease with every passing hour, no one is giving up anytime soon.
Big Horn County Sheriff Ken Blackburn also spoke with the outlet on the matter. He shared that there has been "a nationwide outpouring of offers to help" and that "considerable resources and manpower have been deployed in the search for Grant Gardner." Hopefully, with Gardner's past experience and the many wonderful volunteers, this missing hiker from Minnesota will return home safely.
