The search continues for a young Twin Cities man who fell into a fast-moving creek while hiking in south-central Montana 1½ weeks ago.
Dylan Honnoll, a 2022 graduate of Rogers High School, was hiking on July 12 when he fell into the rapids of East Rosebud Creek at the outlet of Rimrock Lake and is “believed to have suffered fatal injuries,” read a statement from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office.
Honnoll, who just finished his sophomore year at Montana State University in Bozeman, was attempting to cross the creek while hiking the well-known “Beaten Path” trail from East Rosebud Lake to Cooke City, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Searchers suspect that Honnoll became trapped underwater after he fell in, the Sheriff’s Office statement continued.
Sheriff Jeff Schmalz said Tuesday that the search includes ground crews, a helicopter and a drone.
While officials have not said whether he was hiking with anyone at the time, Honnoll’s mother wrote on Facebook over the weekend that he was backpacking with a friend.
“Dylan had a missed step,” Jill Honnoll explained. “The current got the best of him, and it was in a spot that left no chance for survival. ... The spot where he went in was right above a stretch of water that drops precipitously, and it’s whitewater all the way down, which makes it nearly impossible to see through the water.”
She said that searchers “will likely have to wait for the water levels to come down, potentially into the fall months, to hopefully recover him.”
