Nearly two decades after a hiker disappeared on one of Colorado's highest peaks, a discovery may help bring some closure to this long-running mystery. In a Facebook post on Saturday, Eagle County Sheriff's Office reported that Vail Mountain Rescue Group has found personal items that "closely resemble" those of missing hiker Michelle Vanek on Mount of the Holy Cross, a peak in the Sawatch Range south of Vail. "This discovery marks a milestone in the long search for Michelle," writes the ECSO.
"We are filled with hope as a recent discovery in the area may finally bring her family, friends, and the entire community the closure they have long sought." Vanek's case has become notorious in the hiking community after the 34-year-old mother of four disappeared while hiking the 14,011-foot peak on September 24, 2005. Vanek had set off with a friend to summit what was to be her first – a peak over 14,000 ft tall – but she never made it to the top.
Things reportedly got off on the wrong foot when the pair could not find the correct , then set off late on the wrong trail, which took them on a much longer and more difficult route than planned. Just a few hundred yards from the summit, Vanek's partner says she told him she was unable to continue. She had run out of water, and it is thought she was likely suffering from and was poorly dressed for .
She told her partner to continue, and he directed her to begin her descent, telling her he would catch up with her on the way down. That was.