Sierra Blogging Post Archives

Usually when you go hiking you expect to see awe-inspiring vistas and maybe some wildlife. But nothing like this. Two hikers made an unlikely find this month while trekking in Canada - the frozen and well-preserved body of an American climber who's been missing for 21 years.

William Holland, 38, of Maine has been missing for two decades. On a climb in 1989, Holland slipped and fell on a treacherous frozen waterfall called Slipstream on an 11,338-foot peak in the Columbia Icefields. According to officials, Holland stepped on a cornice which gave way and sent him tumbling down over 1,000 feet down the mountain.


The search for his body was fruitless until August 15th of this year when glacier melt revealed Holland to two passing hikers. Totally frozen, he had a rope slung over his shoulder and was still wearing his boots.

"By the time we got there the body was fully exposed. We didn't have to chip the body out at all," Lemke told the news service. "He was generally skin and bones, having quite a mummified look to him. His clothes and gear were relatively intact, and if you look at where he was, he was basically in a deep freeze for the last 21 years."

Incredible. Our hearts go out to Holland's friends and family. While it's been some time since his disappearance, no doubt the tragedy is still painful.

Photo: A climber climbing the frozen waterfall known as Slipstream.