American hiker missing in rugged Spanish mountains for a week: 'A kind and curious soul'
A young American man has been missing in Spain's rugged Pyrenees mountains for more than a week, setting off a frantic search by Spanish authorities and desperate social media posts from his loved ones.
Cole Henderson, 27, was last heard from on Wednesday, July 9, when he texted a friend that he was about to go on a solo hike in Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park and would put his phone on airplane mode to conserve power, according to a website dedicated to finding him and updating the search efforts.
Although it's unclear where Henderson grew up, he has strong ties in Delaware, where he went to high school, and Tennessee, where he graduated from the Rhodes College, according to his social media profiles. His former employers include software companies in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and San Francisco.
"Cole is an experienced traveler, a kind and curious soul, and someone who means the world to me," friend Eric Simon said in a Facebook post asking for help finding Henderson.
Here's what to know about Henderson, the area where he was hiking and what's being done to find him.
Where was Cole Henderson hiking?
Henderson parked his car in Torla, Spain, before he was to embark on a long hike from there, through the Ordesa Valley, to a mountain hut known as Refugio de Pineta, where friends believe he was going to catch a ride back to his car.
It's unclear how long Henderson expected the hike to take or whether he was planning on attempting any peaks in the area along the way. But friends said he had planned to do some camping while in the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, located in the Pyrenees Mountains on the border between northern Spain and France.
Hikers reported dangerous weather in the area on Thursday, July 10, the day after Henderson began his hike. Hikers said there was rain and severe thunder, and reported that they re-routed from the possible route Henderson was on, where there is limited to no cell service.
Loved ones realized Henderson was missing after he missed a flight on July 13 to Amsterdam, where he has been living, according to Simon.
What do the search efforts entail?
The Guardia Civil of Huesca launched a search for Henderson. The Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group (known as GREIM for its initials in Spanish) and an air unit have joined, according to the local newspaper El Diario de Huesca.
Henderson's loved ones are also asking people to share his photo and the details of his disappearance on social media, in hopes that someone in the area recognizes him and may have a better idea of what his last location was.
"We're coordinating with the mountain rescue patrol, American embassy, Spanish authorities and local search and rescue teams," Simon wrote. "But we're also asking for help online — from travelers, hikers, locals, or anyone who might have been in the area or seen Cole in the last week."
What do we know about Cole Henderson?
Henderson's social media posts show he was a world traveler and adventurer, from trekking along the famed Tour du Mont Blanc through Switzerland, Italy, and France, and skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado, to hiking in South Dakota's Badlands National Park and volunteering in Costa Rica.
His LinkedIn profile says he's an engineer "building today's AI for tomorrow's power" at Dexter Energy and that he graduated from Rhodes College with honors with a degree in computer science.
He describes himself as an avid backpacker.
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