Hiker, 28, sent mystery final message to family before deadly fall on 3,100-mile trek as family pay tribute

THE family of a hiker who disappeared during a gruelling 3,100-mile trek has revealed his last message to them. Will Standish, 28, was found dead beneath a steep, high-altitude ridge on a Wyoming trail – over five days after sending a mysterious satellite check-in containing no coordinates or written message. Will, 28, pictured during one of his hikes Credit: Jam Press/Continental Divide Trail Coalition He had embarked on the famous Continental Divide Trail Credit: Jam Press/Continental Divide Trail Coalition It was the final contact the Australian had made with his family, alongside a video sent through Facebook Messenger, which they believe placed him in the Tetons National Park. When no further messages arrived, they contacted park officials four days later. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! A major search was launched across the wilderness between Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Teton County Search and Rescue deployed a helicopter to the coordinates obtained through Will’s Garmin watch – his last known location. From the air, they spotted a bright orange backpack and soon found his body. Evidence suggests he may have fallen from the ridgeline separating Grand Teton National Park and the Jedediah Smith Wilderness. Matt Carr, the Teton County sheriff, said Will had plunged 250 to 300 feet, but admitted that he was a very experienced hiker who kept up a good pace on the trail and had all the right supplies. “He was doing everything right,” the sheriff said. Most read in The Sun Will at Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal Credit: Jam Press/Continental Divide Trail Coalition He was described as a very experienced hiker Credit: Jam Press/Continental Divide Trail Coalition Will began walking south from Canada in June, embarking on the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail which stretches through five states. Some 10 days before his body was found on July 29, he had contacted his family from near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. In what became his final detailed message, he said he planned to continue through the Tetons, Gros Ventre Wilderness, Wind River Range and Divide Basin. This was Will’s second attempt to walk the Continental Divide Trail after a foot injury forced him to abandon a northbound hike in Colorado in 2024. He returned two years later and was known within the hiking community by the trail names “Rova” and “Convict”. The Continental Divide Trail Coalition said hikers had immediately rallied to join the search when he was reported missing. Paying tribute, the organisation shared a message from his family which read: “Our beautiful Will – his heart and soul are forever in the mountains. “Rest in eternal sunshine. Dance with the stars.” His family described Will as a “treasure” who was funny, cheeky, kind and “unapologetically himself”. The environmental science graduate had been profoundly connected to nature and had hiked in countries including Nepal, Sweden, Canada and Papua New Guinea. “We are finding comfort that he died doing something he loved,” his loved ones added. Comment now