The Search for Ian

Forthcoming debut book, seeking publication

On June 24, 2023, I watched the campfire glow under a darkening sky with friends, wondering when Ian would return. Being the partner of an ultra-runner and endurance athlete normalized all day excursions and late nights, but something was different that night.

Ian never returned to camp. He made it to the summit of Hesperus Mountain, a 13,000 foot peak in southwest Colorado, and vanished.

Worried that he may have suffered a life threatening seizure due his epilepsy condition, I dialed 911 and local search and rescue teams were enacted.

Official search and rescue stopped searching after four days when they didn’t find any clues of his whereabouts. I took over the search with the help of friends, family and experienced outdoors men and women.

We continued searching for twelve more days, launching the biggest volunteer led search in the United State’s history.

The Book

I began writing this book in the aftermath, when I didn’t know what else to do. This book is for Ian’s people: the coyote clan, the dirtbags, the motorcycle riding cowboys, and professional guides of the natural world. This book is deeply personal and full of love. It is written for the people who came from all across the country to search, and left without answers.

Four Corners Voices Anthology

A version of Chapter 1 from The Search for Ian is published in Four Corners Voices Anthology, Winner of the 2025 Colorado Book Award for Best Anthology

Beth Henshaw