Hiker is found dead days after vanishing in Adirondack Mountains, New York officials say

Park rangers in the Adirondacks found the body of a Connecticut hiker who had been missing for over a week, local media outlets reported.

Thomas Howard was last seen on March 11 when he went hiking on Mount Colden near the town of North Elba, according to a news release from the New York State Police. He was reported missing on March 16, having never returned from his trip.

Howard’s body was found in the High Peaks Wilderness Area at around 10:30 a.m. on March 19, the Connecticut Post reported.

Mount Colden is the 11th-highest peak in the Adirondack Mountains, according to Lake Placid’s website. The hike up the mountain is described as “beautiful,” but also “challenging” and “long and strenuous.”

Howard, 63 and of Westport, signed into a registry at the Adirondack Loj on March 11, indicating that he planned to hike the mountain by going through the Trap Dike. He planned to be out by Sunday, North Country Public Radio reported.

The Trap Dike can be dangerous to climb, and the area Howard planned to hike was hit with a snowstorm that swept through the High Peaks March 11-13, the outlet reported.

According to his LinkedIn page, Howard was an economist with a doctorate in economics from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from Dartmouth College, The Associated Press reported.

“The Howard family wishes to express their gratitude to the community and the searchers for their support,” state officials said in a release, according to North Country Public Radio. “The family asks for privacy as they grieve the loss of their loved one.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Hiker is found dead days after vanishing in Adirondack Mountains, New York officials say."