A 55-year-old Missouri official reached the 13,804-foot summit of Wyoming’s highest mountain and signed its register
Mackelprang has worked in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office since May 2021. Mountaineering experts consider Gannett Peak, along with Montana’s Granite Peak, one of the hardest state highpoints to climb in the contiguous United States. Unlike mountains that can be reached by roads or short maintained trails, Gannett Peak requires a multi-day wilderness trip just to reach the base of the summit. Climbers must deal with loose rock and scree, hidden crevasses and sudden cold weather that can send temperatures below freezing even in late August. He remains in Pinedale recovering, while his family prepares for his eventual discharge and return to Missouri.
He previously handled high-profile state legal cases before the Missouri Supreme Court.
Despite spending five days exposed to high-altitude conditions with very little water, Mackelprang was still able to stand and walk when ground teams found him at about 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday. By Thursday, 27 August, his family said his condition had improved significantly. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway released a statement thanking the agencies involved in bringing her colleague home safely.
“It’s no easy task to put your life on the line for someone else, especially a stranger who has no place in their lives,” Mackelprang said. “We are thrilled to hear that Deputy Attorney General Shaun Mackelprang has been located,” Hanaway said in a statement released to media organisations. “Our office is beyond grateful for everyone’s prayers and the steadfast work of the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office and drone team, Tip Top Search and Rescue’s volunteers and helicopter crew, and Wyoming State leaders.”
He was flown to St. John’s Health clinical facilities in Pinedale, where doctors treated him for severe dehydration, exhaustion, bruising and widespread skin injuries. From his hospital room in Pinedale, Mackelprang thanked the search teams who put themselves at risk to find him in statements published by Cowboy State Daily. He gave special thanks to Tip Top Search and Rescue and the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office for being “ready and prepared to stand up for me in my time of need. “These women and men did so without a second thought. May God bless them for their good deeds and compassion. Officials in Missouri also praised the search effort.