A major search continues for a 27-year-old Illinois man who went missing during a hike Sunday in Glacier National Park.
Jacob Rigby, a seasonal employee at the park, went for a personal day hike on what park officials believe was "an extreme mountain traverse with challenging terrain."
Rigby, originally from Johnsburg, Ill., is described in a Glacier National Park statement as an avid and skilled hiker. Park dispatch received a call at 2 a.m. Monday that he was overdue from his hike. He also failed to show up for his work shift later Monday morning with the park's exotic plant team.
The exact location of Rigby's hike wasn't initially known, but an initial search found his vehicle in the southern end of the park along Montana Highway 2.
Intensive search efforts continued Tuesday with a group of 50 dedicated on the ground, in helicopters and with a dog team. The search is expected to continue Wednesday, though park rangers are concerned with predicted weather changes.
High alpine searchers believe Rigby may have signed the summit register Sunday at Brave Dog Mountain. "This area is extremely steep and treacherous. It is an area that only the most highly skilled hikers and climbers attempt to access," they said.
Rigby is 6 feet tall with curly, short brown hair and is suspected to be wearing a blue T-shirt, blue Patagonia hiking shorts, white/silver Mamut daypack, size 10 La Sportiva boots and possibly gaiters.
"He has excellent scouting capabilities and enjoys hiking off trail," according to a park statement.
Anyone who may have been in the area on Sunday and may have seen Rigby is asked to call park dispatch at 406-888-7800 or 406-888-5800.
