In the summer of 2012, Garrett Beckwith and his 19-year-old daughter, Della, set out for what should have been another unforgettable adventure. The pair shared a deep passion for climbing and hiking, and their destination was Mount Hooker, deep in Wyoming’s remote Wind River Range.

For Garrett, the trip promised another chance to strengthen the father–daughter bond forged in the outdoors. For Della, it was the thrill of testing her limits alongside the man who had taught her to climb. But their final journey into the wilderness would never find its return.

Mount Hooker stands among the most formidable climbs in the continental United States. Rising nearly 12,500 feet, its sheer north face demands days of trekking just to reach the base. The mountain’s isolation, unpredictable weather, and unforgiving terrain leave little margin for error for even the most experienced climbers.

Garrett and Della were last seen beginning their ascent. When they failed to return on schedule, family and friends immediately raised the alarm. Search-and-rescue teams launched an intensive operation with helicopters, dogs, and ground crews. Despite weeks of relentless effort, not a trace of them was ever found.

The complete absence of evidence has fueled years of agonizing speculation. Some believe they may have fallen during their climb, hidden by deep crevasses or buried under massive rockfall. Others suggest a sudden, violent storm forced them off course. The sheer remoteness of Mount Hooker makes the mystery feel both plausible and eternally unshakable.

For their loved ones, the lack of closure remains its own kind of torment. To lose Garrett and Della without answers is a profound wound that time cannot easily heal.

Yet they are remembered not only for the manner of their vanishing but for how they lived—bound by love, adventure, and the vast wilderness they so cherished. More than a decade later, Mount Hooker still towers over the Wind River Range, its granite face unyielding, holding fast to the silence of two dedicated climbers who never returned.