Clothing, bones may be of 2008 missing Glacier Park hiker
<p>Yi Jien Hwa, a 27-year-old native of Malaysia, went missing in Glacier National Park during a cross-country trek in August 2008.</p>
On July 3, John Wagner, a longtime lover of Glacier National Park, decided to explore the headwall above Avalanche Lake with his grown son.
The idea, Wagner said, was to try to climb up into the Floral Park basin, but the route was too steep for his liking and he wasn't packing a rope.
Then he saw something - pieces of fabric from what looked like a coat and then a pair of long underwear. He thought it odd that someone would leave or even lose clothing in a gully at this remote location, so he reported his find to Park rangers.
A subsequent search by rangers found more clothing and bone fragments. On Monday, Park officials announced they believe the clothing and remains could be that of Yi Jien Hwa, a 27-year-old native of Malaysia.
Hwa was living in the U.S. on a student visa when in August 2008, he embarked on an ambitious 90-mile journey across the Glacier Park. His reported plan was to hike from Logan Pass, across Floral Park traverse below Sperry Glacier, then along the Continental Divide and out to Kintla Lake. Rangers believed he never returned to Logan Pass to restock from supplies he left in his vehicle.
When Hwa came up missing, Park rangers and staff scoured his route by ground and air, clocking 2,500 man-hours over several weeks looking for him, but to no avail.
This recent find could put Hwa's disappearance to rest. Rangers have returned to the site several times for further investigation, with assistance from members of the Flathead County Search and Rescue Team.
Numerous pieces of evidence have been found, several of which closely match the items identified in Hwa's equipment list. The evidence also includes some bone fragments that are being analyzed for DNA identification by the Montana Department of Justice's Crime Lab in Missoula. Rangers believe the evidence was transported down slope from the cliffs above by water and snow avalanches.
Deep snow and steep terrain have extended the recovery effort which will continue as weather conditions allow or definitive proof is found. Park rangers have been in contact with Hwa's wife and mother.