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Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Body of second missing hiker found on Katahdin
Jun. 4—The bodies of two missing hikers from New York have now been found near the summit of Katahdin. Search teams found the body of Esther Keiderling, 28, of Ulster Park, New York, around 1 p.m. Wednesday in a wooded area off the Tablelands between two known trails, Baxter State Park officials said. Her father, Tim Keiderling, 58, was found around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday on the Katahdin Tablelands by a Maine Warden Service K-9 search team. The pair had been missing since Sunday morning, when they were last seen headed toward the summit. An intense search for the pair began Monday and grew to include dozens of game wardens and park rangers. A spokesperson for the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said more details would be released later Wednesday once the search teams return from the rescue close to the summit of Maine's highest mountain. Joe Keiderling, Tim's brother, told the Press Herald in an interview Wednesday that the father-daughter duo were close and loved hiking and being outdoors. He said they were both serious about their Christian faith, which sustained them through "whatever life threw at them." He described his brother as a "remarkable," lively man who had a knack for making friends in unlikely places. He could keep children and adults alike "spellbound" with his humor and storytelling. "He was one of a kind," Joe Keiderling said. "There was no one quite like him. He will be sorely missed, as will Esther." Joe Keiderling said his niece was a soft-spoken, sensitive woman who loved to read and write. The two of them compared reading notes, book recommendations and exchanged poems. She shared her grandmother's affinity for Russian literature, including works by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Leo Tolstoy, and one of her favorite poets was Gerard Manley Hopkins. She was a "wonderful conversationalist" and a deep thinker, Joe Keiderling said. Tim Keiderling was married with four daughters, including Esther, and two sons. The family was close, and Joe Keiderling said his brother enjoyed spending time with his two grandchildren as well. The father and daughter both worked at Rifton Equipment, a company that designs adaptive equipment for people with disabilities. "Anyone who attended one of these sessions can't help but remember Tim's lively presence and the joy and fulfillment both he and Esther found in helping all of you serve the children and adults in your care," reads a statement posted to Rifton's social media accounts. The Keiderlings had traveled to Maine for work and planned their hike on Katahdin at the end of the trip, Joe Keiderling said. He said they had collected equipment and researched the climb in preparation for the hike. "I think it's clear that they ran into unusually difficult weather," Joe Keiderling said, adding that park officials indicated to him that the conditions were "terrible" during their hike. Forecasts for Sunday by the National Weather Service office in Caribou called for scattered showers at Katahdin's summit with winds peaking at 30-40 mph and low temperatures in the mid-30s. THE SEARCH After recovering Tim Keiderling's body Tuesday, search crews repositioned their resources to the nearby area but initially found no clues about Esther Keiderling's location, park officials said. A helicopter with a thermal imaging device searched the area Tuesday evening. The search for Esther Keiderling resumed early Wednesday with helicopters. Ground searchers began their search around 8 a.m. and had concentrated their efforts on the Tablelands, a wide plateau west of the summit, as well as the trails and streams on the east side of the mountain. The search included 25 game wardens, four game warden K-9 teams and 21 Baxter State Park rangers. Helicopters from the Maine Forest Service and Maine Army National Guard assisted with the search and transported crews to the summit. Park officials closed the Hunt and Abol trails while the search was ongoing. It was not clear Wednesday when those trails would reopen. On Saturday, Esther Keiderling posted a blog to Substack saying she and her father planned a sales trip to the area around a weekend so they could hike Katahdin. She said they planned to start hiking the Abol Trail by 7 a.m. Sunday if it wasn't pouring rain. "I'm a little nervous about everything I've seen about the Abol trail but I'm going to do it if weather permits!" she wrote. "If you don't see me back on Substack notes again, that's where I am." The Abol Trail is a popular but challenging hike that ascends the southwest side of the mountain, gaining 3,982 feet in about 4.5 miles. It is the shortest route to Baxter Peak from a roadside trailhead. The trail used to include the prominent Abol Slide but was relocated in 2015 after soil and rock movement increased hazards for hikers. The relocated trail uses the ridge west of the slide. The rocky terrain requires hikers to climb over large boulders. Carey Kish, a hiker, writer and Registered Maine Guide who writes outdoors columns for the Press Herald, said Katahdin can never be underestimated, even if hikers are experienced and used to a challenge. "There's no easy way up Katahdin. Every route is very challenging and very steep, rocky and long," he said Wednesday. "No matter when you go up Katahdin, you have to be prepared. Even then, the weather can close in and you can lose your way." Kish noted that the Abol Trail is particularly challenging, with a 600-foot "big boulder scramble" to reach the Tablelands. On the Tablelands, hikers are exposed to the elements, which makes it beautiful on a nice day, Kish said. On the other hand, "if the weather closes in on you, it can be a scary place to be if you don't keep your wits about you," he said. In October 2020, two hikers died on Katahdin within two days. At the time, park officials issued a reminder that the mountain can be "formidable," especially in the months ahead of winter. Several people have been rescued via helicopter from the mountain's trails in recent years, including six hikers who spent the night atop the mountain after a woman in their group lost consciousness, as well as a woman who broke her ankle on the same trail one month later. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Searchers find father's body near top of Katahdin
Jun. 3—A Maine Warden Service K-9 team found the body of a 58-year-old New York man near the summit of Katahdin on Tuesday, two days after he and his daughter went missing while hiking the 5,267-foot peak in Baxter State Park. Tim Keiderling's body was found in the Katahdin Tablelands at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The search for his daughter, Esther Keiderling, 28, continues. Park officials say the Keiderlings, both of Ulster Park, New York, left Abol Campground on Sunday morning to hike up Katahdin. They were last seen around 10:15 a.m. that day as they headed toward the summit. Rangers began searching for the pair Monday morning after finding their vehicle in a day-use parking lot. They searched the Abol Trail, the Hunt Trail and the Katahdin Tablelands, a level area near the summit, officials said. Searchers found no signs of the pair and on Tuesday expanded the search to include helicopters, more than 30 game wardens and K-9 teams. The Hunt and Abol trails on Katahdin are closed while the search is ongoing. The Maine Forest Service is assisting in the search with three helicopters. The Maine Army National Guard responded with a Blackhawk and a Lakota helicopter equipped with an infrared thermal imaging device. The Abol Trail, a popular but challenging hike with 3,982 feet in elevation gain, is the shortest route to Baxter Peak from a roadside trailhead. The trail used to include the prominent Abol Slide but was relocated in 2015 after soil and rock movement increased hazards for hikers. The relocated trail uses the ridge west of the slide. The rocky terrain requires hikers to climb over large boulders. Forecasts for Sunday by the National Weather Service in Caribou called for scattered showers at Katahdin's summit with winds peaking at 30-40 mph and low temperatures in the mid-30s. The low temperature was expected to hit the mid-30s again on Monday night, when scattered showers were also predicted. A representative at the Caribou Office on Tuesday said the agency only provides forecasts for the summit and doesn't track temperatures and wind speeds. Nearby Millinocket, which is roughly 350 feet above sea level, saw a low of 36 degrees Monday night. Temperatures were likely much colder on Katahdin's summit, nearly 5,000 feet higher. In a blog post shared to Substack on Saturday, Esther Keiderling wrote that she and her father planned a sales trip around a weekend so they could hike Katahdin. In other posts, she talked about working with her father at Rifton Equipment, where she is a customer service representative, and documented a recent trip they took to Niagara Falls. In her most recent post, Esther Keiderling said she and her father planned to start hiking up the Abol Trail between 6-7 a.m. Sunday if it wasn't pouring rain. "I'm a little nervous about everything I've seen about the Abol trail but I'm going to do it if weather permits!" she wrote. "If you don't see me back on Substack notes again, that's where I am." The search for Esther Keiderling will continue through daylight hours. Volunteer searchers are not needed, park officials said. Anyone who was on or around the Katahdin summit on Sunday between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. or has any information about the Keiderlings is asked to call state police in Houlton at 207-532-5400. Staff Writer Drew Johnson contributed to this report. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Searchers find father's body near summit of Katahdin
Jun. 3—A Maine Warden Service K-9 team found the body of a 58-year-old New York man near the summit of Katahdin on Tuesday, two days after he and his daughter went missing while hiking the 5,267-foot peak in Baxter State Park. Tim Keiderling's body was found in the Katahdin Tablelands at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The search for his daughter, Esther Keiderling, 28, continues. Park officials say the Keiderlings, both of Ulster Park, New York, left Abol Campground on Sunday morning to hike up Katahdin. They were last seen around 10:15 a.m. that day as they headed toward the summit. Rangers began searching for the pair Monday morning after finding their vehicle in a day-use parking lot. They searched the Abol Trail, the Hunt Trail and the Katahdin Tablelands, a level area near the summit, officials said. Searchers found no signs of the pair and on Tuesday expanded the search to include helicopters, more than 30 game wardens and K-9 teams. The Hunt and Abol trails on Katahdin are closed while the search is ongoing. The Maine Forest Service is assisting in the search with three helicopters. The Maine Army National Guard responded with a Blackhawk and a Lakota helicopter equipped with an infrared thermal imaging device. The Abol Trail, a popular but challenging hike with a 3,982-foot elevation gain, is the shortest route to Baxter Peak from a roadside trailhead. The trail used to include the prominent Abol Slide but was relocated in 2015 after soil and rock movement increased hazards for hikers. The relocated trail uses the ridge west of the slide. The rocky terrain requires hikers to climb over large boulders. Forecasts for Sunday by the National Weather Service in Caribou called for scattered showers at Katahdin's summit with winds peaking at 30-40 mph and low temperatures in the mid-30s. The low temperature was expected to hit the mid-30s again on Monday night, when scattered showers were also predicted. A representative at the Caribou Office on Tuesday said the agency only provides forecasts for the summit and doesn't track temperatures and wind speeds. Nearby Millinocket, which is roughly 350 above sea level, saw a low of 36 degrees Monday night. Temperatures were likely much colder on Katahdin's summit, nearly 5,000 feet higher. In a blog post shared to Substack on Saturday, Esther Keiderling wrote that she and her father planned a sales trip around a weekend so they could hike Katahdin. In other posts, she talked about working with her father at Rifton Equipment, where she is a customer service representative, and documented a recent trip they took to Niagara Falls. In her most recent post, Esther Keiderling said she and her father planned to start hiking up the Abol Trail between 6-7 a.m. Sunday if it wasn't pouring rain. "I'm a little nervous about everything I've seen about the Abol trail but I'm going to do it if weather permits!" she wrote. "If you don't see me back on Substack notes again, that's where I am." The search for Esther Keiderling will continue through daylight hours. Volunteer searchers are not needed, park officials said. Anyone who was on or around the Katahdin summit on Sunday between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. or has any information about the Keiderlings is asked to call state police in Houlton at 207-532-5400. This story will be updated. Staff Writer Drew Johnson contributed to this report. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
Mass. environmental police charge suspects in illegally obtained wildlife investigation
CHELSEA, Mass. (WWLP) – Multiple searches were executed in Massachusetts by environmental police as a result of a months-long, multi-state investigation connected to illegally obtained wildlife. Two Springfield residents arrested on firearm charges after police were called to Holyoke disturbance The Massachusetts Environmental Police announced on Monday that the department worked in conjunction with the Maine Warden Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to track down illegally taken game. The wildlife was reportedly caught in Maine and brought to two separate locations in Massachusetts. The investigation team worked together to determine probable cause and issue search warrants for the two locations where the game was allegedly located. Upon searching, officers seized over 150 packages of wild game meat and a moose skull with the antlers attached, as well as licensing documents. The Maine Warden Service served multiple summons to the suspects for the multiple Fish and Game violations of their Title 12 Statutes. The Mass. Environmental Police charged the suspects with two counts of Transport of Illegally Obtained Game from Outside the Commonwealth. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
