A hiker told his family about the remote mountain ranges he planned to cross shortly before disappearing during a gruelling 3,100-mile trek.
Will Standish had been regularly sending updates home as he attempted to walk the Continental Divide Trail across the US.
But four days after outlining his route, his family received a mysterious satellite check-in containing no coordinates or written message.
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It would be the final contact they received from the 28-year-old before his body was discovered beneath a steep, high-altitude ridge, as reported by Need To Know.
Will, from Melbourne, Australia, began walking south from Canada in June.
The Continental Divide Trail stretches between the Canadian and Mexican borders, crossing Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.
On July 19, Will 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.
His family received the unexplained Garmin check-in on July 23, alongside a video sent through Facebook Messenger which they believed placed him in the Tetons.
When no further messages arrived, they contacted park officials on July 27.
A major search was launched across the remote wilderness between Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.
Two days later, a Teton County Search and Rescue helicopter flew towards Will’s last presumed location near an area known as the Wigwams.
Crew members spotted his distinctive bright orange backpack from the air before finding his body below a ridge south of North Wigwam Peak.
Officials said evidence suggested he may have fallen from the ridgeline separating Grand Teton National Park and the Jedediah Smith Wilderness.
The area is made up of rugged, highly technical peaks, with elevations exceeding 10,800ft.
Will’s body was recovered and taken to the Teton County Coroner’s Office.
It was his second attempt to complete the enormous trail after a foot injury forced him to abandon a northbound hike in Colorado in 2024.
He returned stronger two years later and was known within the hiking community by the trail names “Rova” and “Convict”.
The Continental Divide Trail Coalition said concerned hikers had immediately rallied to join the search when Will was reported overdue.
Paying tribute, the organisation shared a message from his devastated 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”.
They said the environmental science graduate had been profoundly connected to nature and had hiked in countries including Nepal, Sweden, Canada and Papua New Guinea.
His loved ones added: “We are finding comfort that he died doing something he loved.”
Friend Katie Jackson described him as a funny and adventurous person who brought laughter to every situation.
She has launched a fundraiser to help cover the complex cost of returning his body to Australia.
It states: “His sudden passing has left his family to navigate a painful loss that no family is ever truly prepared for.”
More than £23,000 ($31,000) has been donated, with the money going towards repatriation and giving Will a farewell alongside his family and loved ones.
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