Guide Note

Backpackers Abby Flantz and Erica Nelson disappeared while on a hiking trip to Denali National Park in Alaska. They were rescued on June 18, 2008. The pair were located after one of them used a cell phone to call her mother. A helicopter then picked them up. They were reported missing on June 14 and found on June 17.

Fast Facts

1. Abby Flantz: 25, from Gaylord, Minnesota
2. Erica Nelson: 23, from Las Vegas, Nevada
3. Last seen: June 12, 2008 at a check station near park headquarters¹
4. June 14, 2008: Reported missing when they failed to show up for work²
5. Flantz and Nelson worked together at a hotel near Denali National Park and Preserve³
6. Both women are experienced hikers, but not familiar with Denali's backcountry¹
7. Were supposed to return from the trip on June 13, 2008
8. Nelson was scheduled to fly to Houston on June 15, 2008, to be maid of honor at her sister's wedding⁴

Flantz and Nelson were picked up by helicopter just before 5pm on Wednesday, June 18, on the edge of Denali National Park. Nelson had called her mother that morning from her cell phone. Park officials were able to home in on her cell phone signal and find the pair.