Body of Missing Hiker Found in the Eastern Sierra

The body of missing hiker Robert Bondurant was found on October 6, tragically ending the search in the rugged terrain of the Eastern Sierra.

Bondurant, an experienced hiker, left for a solo excursion in the Agnew Meadows/Devils Postpile/Minarets area on September 29th and was not heard from in the subsequent days. After a search began with officials from the Mono County and Madera County Search and Rescue teams, they were unable to locate Bondurant.

According to a post on social media, Bondurant’s body was found by a local hiker in an area near Clyde Minaret on October 6. The post, written by Viren Perumal, theorizes that he may have fallen during his excursion in the mountains.

“I was contacted by several mutual friends of a missing climber,” wrote Perumal. “I hiked in there to check out a few likely places where he may have fallen on Clyde and found his body which had been there since last Thursday.”

A day later, the family confirmed the identity of the found body was Bondurant.

“At this time it has been confirmed that the body is my brother Robert Bondurant,” wrote the family on GoFundMe. “The family wishes you all to know how much we appreciate the love support and help of his friends and the ultra community. Funeral date will be announced soon. Thank you all.”

Clyde Minaret is the highest of the Minaret chain, a series of jagged peaks located in the Ritter Range, a sub-range of the Sierra Nevada. The area is popular with rock climbers and experienced outdoorsmen. Bondurant was an experienced ultrarunner and mountain athlete with numerous mountain summits throughout the country yearly.

You can donate to the family’s GoFundMe here.