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One year after a Wyoming college professor mysteriously vanished after leaving for a bike ride in the mountains, local police are still searching. And survival experts wonder what led an experienced outdoorsman to disappear into the wilderness.
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Authorities are still searching for 39-year-old Nash Quinn after he disappeared while mountain biking in Albany County, Wyoming.
Quinn, a visiting professor of jewelry and metalsmithing at the University of Wyoming, was last heard from July 8, 2024, and is believed to have left for a bike ride sometime before July 21.
While his last-known location remains unknown, Quinn typically frequented three popular areas while riding — Happy Jack, Roger’s Canyon and Sheep Mountain — according to police.
MISSING HIKERS IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK FOUND ALIVE AFTER 2-DAY SEARCH
Nash Quinn, a visiting professor of jewelry and metalsmithing at the University of Wyoming, was last heard from July 8, 2024.(The Laramie Police Department)
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The Laramie Police Department declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Despite efforts to locate Quinn, he has yet to be found nearly one year later.
The mystery surrounding Quinn’s disappearance raises questions about how a seemingly healthy and experienced biker could have fallen victim to Wyoming’s wilderness.
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Nash Quinn disappeared after leaving for a bike ride in the Wyoming mountains in July 2024.(The Laramie Police Department)
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“It’s a very brutal environment,” Jason Marsteiner, founder of The Survival University in Colorado, told Fox News Digital. “You have to have some respect for your surroundings, wherever you are. So, in a nutshell, the core survival skills you need to learn are communication, fire, shelter, water and food.”
Quinn, an avid outdoorsman, would often leave for bike rides without bringing much gear and prided himself on being a minimalist while enjoying the elements, according to Cowboy State Daily.
After Quinn went missing, his cellphone, wallet and car keys were reportedly discovered inside his apartment. Quinn would also leave for short rides without bringing water, his friends told the local outlet.
HIKER’S DEATH IN UTAH SPOTLIGHTS NEED FOR SAFETY PROTOCOLS ON THE TRAIL
Quinn disappeared in one of Wyoming’s peak summer months, when the days can reach high temperatures but dip into cooler weather after the sun goes down. The wide range could have posed a significant risk to Quinn, potentially resulting in hypothermia if he was not properly shielded from the elements overnight.
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“Quinn’s a minimalist,” Marsteiner said. “He just takes his bike out. That’s a common thing. A lot of people do that. They don’t think anything of it. But the temperatures at night can drop, even in July, to [around] 45 degrees, and it’s potentially a rainy season.
Authorities say Nash Quinn’s white bicycle is also missing nearly one year after he disappeared while on a bike ride in Wyoming.(The Laramie Police Department)
“If you get stuck out there, and you don’t have anything, hypothermia is a very real thing. And your body shuts down pretty fast with hypothermia.”
After Quinn’s disappearance, police said his white mountain bike also had not been found, a key detail that could have led authorities to finding him if it had been a more vibrant color.
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“He has a white bike [with] black tires,” Marsteiner told Fox News Digital. “It blends in easily.”
For weeks, authorities searched nearly 70,000 acres for Quinn on foot, bike and horseback, while using drones and helicopters. But even with aerial searches, Marsteiner warns, it can be hard to spot someone who is stationary.
“When they’re flying over top and looking down, they can see movement really well,” Marsteiner said. “If he’s just laying there, and his bike is just laying here, and it’s wedged underneath a rock or a bush, they’re not going to see him.”
The search for Quinn was taken over by the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, but investigators reportedly have since reduced search efforts and are only following up on leads.
“The case remains open until we get any other new information or some other reason to close it,” Sheriff Aaron Appelhans told Cowboy State Daily. ” We don’t have any information to pinpoint a search area.”
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The Albany County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
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Nearly one year after Quinn’s disappearance, the Laramie Police Department is asking for anyone visiting the mountains to continue looking for Quinn, and experts implore those who are in the wilderness to take the steps to protect themselves.
“This all comes from the heart,” Marsteiner said. “I really hope that this is a learning experience. Unfortunately, I really feel like Nash has perished, and I feel for his family. If we can save one more life by talking about what happened with Nash here, then it’s all worth it.”
This month, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, is a fitting time for reflection. Our focus turns toward family and community, and the changing weather causes us to slow down. It is a good time to take stock of the society around us. The Thanksgiving holiday naturally turns our minds to what we are grateful for — what already exists that we cherish. Christmas is a holiday of hope, focused on the promise of what is yet to come. With these holidays in mind, let us reflect on what parts of our state we are thankful for and hopeful about.
Perhaps the thing Wyomingites hold most dear is our heritage. Culturally, we are descended from pioneers and settlers — or from those who came before — and we take that frontier heritage to heart. We value independence, community and overcoming challenges. We are willing to endure hardship to build a life that we want, and we are closely attuned to the natural world and the benefits that it provides. Above all else, we know that our perch in this place is still precarious. These are perspectives that are hard to find elsewhere. They set us apart. By embracing these values, we create a society that fits our circumstances. These ideas would not fit in other places, but they fit here, and for that I am grateful.
I am also thankful for the good stewardship of our forefathers. Wyoming is a harsh place and it’s challenging to thrive here. Most of our land is arid and inhospitable, our physical conditions are difficult, and we are remote from most modern conveniences and luxuries. With poor planning or shortsighted leadership, this place could easily fall into decline.
Fortunately, we have been blessed with the opposite. The state’s early settlers understood the importance of building the infrastructure that would allow for growth. When it became clear that natural resources would power our economy, our leaders decided to set aside large portions of the state’s mineral revenue to support us in perpetuity. The easy decision — the short-sighted decision — would have been to spend those dollars on the needs of the day. They certainly could have built some nice things, and those projects would have been popular. They also would have been fleeting. Because of wise leadership and decisions that focused on the long-term, we all benefit from our state’s bounty.
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Just as we are grateful for the good decisions of the past, we should be hopeful for the future. Despite our state’s challenges, there are many good reasons to have hope. First, our state is full of opportunity. We have space, natural resources, and the ability to be nimble when it comes to building regulatory structures that can support new industries. Our people are hard-working and determined. We have existing expertise in manufacturing and mining that is missing in many other parts of the country. Our climate and location give Wyoming an advantage in attracting computing facilities to locate here. If we take advantage of the opportunities in front of us, Wyoming is poised to thrive, and that gives me hope.
I am also hopeful because there appears to be a growing consensus on the issues we face, which allows us to better meet these challenges. In surveys and conversations about Wyoming’s future, the challenges of economic diversification and talent retention quickly rise to the top. We recognize where our weaknesses are, which is a significant part of the battle. Once we agree on the problem, we can work to find solutions.
Finding a fix is often an easier undertaking than identifying the problem itself. Already, drilling into these challenges has helped us recognize the underlying problems connected to affordable housing, livable spaces, health care access and education. Understanding how these fit together and how improvements in one area can lead to improvements in others puts us on a much more manageable path. It will still not be easy to overcome our hurdles, but the fact that we must wrestle with difficult problems is not unusual or unique. We have answered big questions before. Now that we have a growing consensus on what those problems are, I am far more hopeful about our ability to move forward.
In this holiday season, we should take the time to contemplate the world around us. Self-reflection is important. We should look both behind us and ahead of us, toward the past and gratitude and the future and hope. Our state gives us plenty to consider on both accounts.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Department of Transportation has reported that the ongoing high wind speeds throughout the state have caused 39 vehicles to crash on Wyoming highways so far this week, primarily between Dec. 9 and Dec. 11.
According to a report from WYDOT, most of the crashes occurred on Interstate 80 near Cooper Cove west of Laramie, on I-25 on Wyo Hill south of Cheyenne and along I-25 near Wheatland at Bordeaux. Many blown-over vehicles were underweight, and some trailers were even empty.
WYDOT updates the minimum weights listed on overhead digital messaging signs based on real-time wind speeds. Drivers are encouraged to check weight-based wind closure information often to ensure travel is permitted.
It’s not just commercial vehicles that are at risk, either; the department reports that campers, toy-haulers and other large trailers are also susceptible to blowing over in strong winds.
June skiing and pond-skimming at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado
Skiers and snowboarders soak in the sun and attempt to make it across a pond on a June day at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado
Snowy Range ski area is scheduled to open for the season on Dec. 12.
Daily lift ticket prices range from $40 for children to $69 for adults.
Snowy Range, one of the closest ski areas to Fort Collins, is scheduled to open for the season Dec. 12 and remain open through April 12, 2026.
The ski area had a snow depth of about 30 inches on Dec. 9, spokesperson Kate Lessman told the Coloradoan in an email.
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Daily lift tickets range in price from $59-$69 purchased onsite for adults, $52-$62 for teenagers ages 13-17 and $40-$50 for children ages 5-12. Children age 4 and younger and senior citizens age 70 and older can ski for free. Tickets purchased in advance online are discounted $5.
More: Complete Colorado ski resort guide
Snowy Range Ski and Recreation Area is located about 100 miles northwest of Fort Collins and 36 miles west of Laramie, Wyoming.
For additional information, visit the ski area’s website.
Coloradoan reporter Kelly Lyell can be reached at KellyLyell@coloradoan.com. Follow him on x.com/KellyLyell, threads.net/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.
