Rescuers Seek American Hiker Missing for Days in the Pyrenees

New York Times

17-07-2025

Spanish search and rescue teams are scouring the Pyrenees for an American man who set off for a hike on July 9 and has not been heard from since.
Cole Henderson, 27, texted friends around 2 p.m. from near Mount Perdido in northeastern Spain, according to posts from friends and family on social media.
He had said he was putting his phone on airplane mode and had parked his car in Torla, a village near the entrance to Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, the posts said.
'We don't know his exact route, but we believe he may have entered the park from the Torla side,' Max Senoff, a friend of Mr. Henderson, wrote on Facebook.
Mr. Henderson, who had been living and working in Amsterdam, was on the final leg of a vacation in Spain, and had previously been in Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls festival, Mr. Senoff said.
Mount Perdido is the third-highest peak in the Pyrenees. The hike is challenging and steep, particularly on the summit ascent, but is not a technical climb and can be completed in a day.
Friends reported Mr. Henderson missing after he failed to return home to the Netherlands on a flight last weekend. The Guarda Civil, the Spanish police, said a search began on July 14 in the Huesca province, which includes areas of the Pyrenees and the national park. Officials deployed helicopters and members of the Civil Guard's specialty search and rescue teams.
Mr. Henderson's car was discovered at a parking lot in Torla. Many visitors start hikes there in the summer months, when private traffic in and out of the park is restricted. A receipt for camping fuel, commonly used to power small stoves for trips in the wilderness, was found inside, Mr. Senoff said.
The park, located along Spain's northeast border with France, is known for its lush meadows, steep canyons and rugged peaks, including Mount Perdido.
A frequent traveler, Mr. Henderson is known among friends for arranging group trips and sharing outdoors and hiking gear. Mr. Henderson's social media profiles are plastered with images of trips to mountains, national parks and ski slopes, and in the Netherlands, he is the captain of a group soccer team and a dedicated member of a running club. He is also an 'avid planner,' Mr. Senoff said, and shared an itinerary for his trip to Spain with friends before departing.
'He is great at bringing people together and very social guy,' Mr. Senoff said.