Jason Daniel Harper, 27, left a Windy Ridge drop point at about 3,000 feet on May 4, 2004, to attempt a solo ascent of 16,237-foot Mount Sanford in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. He was dropped off by a pilot roughly 20 miles northwest of the summit with skis, climbing gear, and five days of food; his plan was to climb the Sheep Glacier and be picked up on May 9 at a designated retrieval spot.

When the pilot returned on May 9 there was no sign of Harper. Aerial searches using airplanes and a helicopter located a base camp he had established, with most of his camping equipment still there, but no further trace of him. Despite intensive search efforts, no additional clues emerged and the official search was eventually scaled back.

Harper’s disappearance remains unsolved. Did anyone in the climbing community or anyone who traveled in the Mount Sanford area in early May 2004 see signs of his route or recall unusual activity near Windy Ridge?