Missing hiker’s body found on Katahdin, search continues for daughter
By Leela Stockley, Bangor Daily News Staff
The body of a hiker who had not been seen since Sunday has been located on Katahdin, according to Baxter State Park officials.
At around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, the body of Tim Keiderling was located by a Maine Warden Service K9 search team on the Tablelands region near the summit of Katahdin, the park said in a statement on its Facebook page.
Tim Keiderling, 58, and his daughter, 28-year-old Esther Keiderling, both of Ulster Park, New York, were last seen on Katahdin’s Tablelands heading toward the summit about 10:15 a.m. Sunday, according to Baxter State Park.
MISSING — Tim Keiderling, 58, right, and his daughter, Esther Keiderling, 28, left, both of Ulster Park, New York. Tim Keiderling’s body was found on Katahdin on Tuesday.
Esther Keiderling has not been located. A search effort remains underway to locate the woman.
According to family, both Tim and Esther Keiderling were experienced hikers who had both hiked the Adirondacks before. The trip to Katahdin had been something the father-daughter duo had planned for, and family members were aware of the trip.
Esther Keiderling had also written in a Saturday afternoon post to her Substack blog, “Keep the Banner Flying,” that the pair planned to hike Katahdin’s Abol Trail, starting between 6 and 7 a.m. Sunday, depending on weather conditions.
Family became concerned when they hadn’t heard from either of the Keiderlings by Sunday night.
The search for Tim and Esther Keiderling began Monday morning, when park rangers discovered their vehicle still in the day-use lot, officials said Tuesday. An initial search of the Abol and Hunt trails, along with the Tablelands, did not produce any sign of either hiker.
The search widened through the day Tuesday, before Tim Keiderling’s body was discovered.
Tim Keiderling’s brother, Joe Keiderling, told the Bangor Daily News on Tuesday afternoon that the hiker “lived exuberantly.”
“I am fortunate beyond words to have had a brother like Tim,” Jim Keiderling said. “He was a father, brother, husband, grandfather who loved life, loved people, loved God. He was a storyteller like no one I’ve known with a rich sense of humor. He left us far too soon. My heart is broken for his wife and children.”
More than 30 wardens, along with tracking dogs and five helicopters have been assisting with the search, and continue to work to locate Esther Keiderling.