BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 9, 2025
The two hikers whose bodies were found on Katahdin last week died from exposure during bad weather, a family member has said. Tim Keiderling was found dead Tuesday afternoon by a Maine Warden Service K9 search team on the Tablelands region near the summit of Katahdin. Esther Keiderling was found dead around 1 p.m. Wednesday in a boulder area between the Cathedral and Saddle Trails off the Tablelands. The pair of hikers had attempted to climb Katahdin on Sunday, May 31. Family members became concerned when they did not make contact by the evening, and park rangers initiated a search for the hikers on Monday, June 1. According to Heinrich Arnold, Tim Keiderling’s brother-in-law, the pair of hikers faced extreme conditions and died of exposure to the elements.