Mukunda Egen and his companion were still out at about 11 p.m. when they chose different ways through the terrain. Egen had complained of knee pain and preferred a less steep route.
Then fog moved between them. They lost sight of one another.
The July 2016 Denali search began with that small separation. It ended on Sunday evening, when a helicopter crew found Egen in the headwaters of the Sanctuary River, approximately six miles from the place he had last been seen.
Mukunda Egen: The companion who came back alone
The pair had been camping at Teklanika Campground in Denali National Park and Preserve. They set out for a day hike on Friday afternoon.
What began as a day hike had continued into the late evening. Taking different lines through the terrain left the pair dependent on being able to see one another, just as fog interrupted that contact.
Egen’s companion attempted to retrace their route and locate him. She eventually reached the campground at 4 a.m. on Saturday and contacted rangers.
The search began at 9 a.m. More than fifty people took part, supported by two helicopters and two search dogs with their handlers. Ground teams had to work from the last known location while allowing for the possibility that Egen had continued moving.
A mountain search is complicated by the difference between a point and an area. A final sighting gives responders somewhere to begin. It does not tell them which drainage, slope or alternative route the missing person will choose after that.
Six miles from the last sighting
At about 7:45 p.m. on Sunday, a helicopter crew located Egen. He was forty-two and, according to the National Park Service, in good condition. He was flown to park headquarters for evaluation by rangers and medical personnel.
The search had begun on Saturday morning and continued into Sunday evening. By the time the helicopter reached him, the missing-person response had grown far beyond the two hikers who set out from the campground.
The less steep route had addressed an immediate problem with Egen’s knee. Losing contact in fog created another problem, spread across terrain where a companion could disappear from view long before a search team could determine where to look.
The last clear connection between the hikers had been simple enough to describe—a companion nearby, taking another line. The effort required to restore that connection stretched across a weekend, multiple search teams and six miles of country.
Sources and reporting
Researched reporting: an original narrative based on the published records linked below.
