In the summer of 2012, Garrett Beckwith and his 19-year-old daughter, Della, set out to climb Mount Hooker in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. For them, the wilderness was sacred—a place where father and daughter connected deeply through shared skill, trust, and adventure. Garrett, a seasoned climber, had raised Della among mountains, teaching her to read the wind and respect the raw power of nature.
Mount Hooker is not a casual climb. Its sheer north face rises nearly 12,500 feet, demanding skill, endurance, and respect. Garrett and Della were last seen near base camp, confident and well-prepared. But after days passed without word, concern turned to alarm. Search teams scoured ridgelines and forests for weeks, but found nothing. The mountain had swallowed them, leaving only silence.
Over the years, theories circulated: maybe they were caught in a storm, misjudged a route, fell into a hidden crevasse, or perished in some other remote part of the peak. Some suggested they vanished intentionally, but nothing was ever confirmed. Friends and family remember them for their inseparable bond and shared love of the mountains, not the mystery of their disappearance.
For 11 years, Mount Hooker kept its secret. Then, in 2023, hikers discovered remnants of a small cliffside camp: two weathered sleeping bags, a rusted stove, and a journal in Della’s handwriting. Her final entry described an approaching storm and her father’s calm demeanor. Beyond that, silence again. Rescuers deemed the cliffs too dangerous to continue.
Mount Hooker remains one of North America’s most unforgiving peaks. For climbers, it embodies beauty and peril. For the Beckwiths’ family, it is an unmarked grave and a testament to love, courage, and the wild spirit that defined Garrett and Della. Their story endures, whispered by the wind over granite cliffs where they took their final, shared adventure.
