The latest Long Read on the Outside Podcast is the conclusion of our story on the search for Michelle Vanek, a 35-year-old mother of four who vanished in 2005 while hiking up Mount of the Holy Cross
Published September 12, 2026 06:57AM
How can a person vanish in the backcountry? For nearly two decades, this question baffled rescuers and law enforcement officials in Eagle County, Colorado. On September 24, 2005, a 35-year-old hiker named Michelle Vanek disappeared on the rocky slopes of Mount of the Holy Cross. Vanek, a mother of four from suburban Denver, had been hiking with a neighbor when the two separated. Her disappearance kicked off one of the largest search and rescue missions in state history. Hundreds of people combed the slopes of the peak, but they were never able to locate any trace of Vanek. In his 2025 Outside Long Read, writer Ted Katauskas recounts Vanek’s life, her passion for the outdoors, and her fateful decision to hike one of Colorado’s most rugged fourteeners. Katauskas, a member of the Vail Mountain Rescue Group, also recounts the enormous mission to try and locate Vanek after she went missing.
The conclusion of Katauskas’ story, The Search for Michelle Vanek, is this week’s Long Read on the Outside Podcast.
