The body of a Bothell pilot was recovered from a steep gully on Mount Pugh after a massive three-day search effort involving seven mountain rescue teams from across the Pacific Northwest.
Alex Keen, 34, never showed up for work at Skydive Snohomish on Sunday, May 10, 2026, triggering immediate concern among colleagues who said his absence was completely uncharacteristic. Keen had worked as a full-time pilot at the drop zone for three years, flying skydivers from Harvey Field in Snohomish.
Search crews located Keen’s body Tuesday afternoon on the 7,200-foot peak east of Darrington, known by its Indigenous name Da Klagwats, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said. His remains were found roughly 800 vertical feet below personal hiking gear that helicopter crews had spotted at the top of a narrow, vertical gully.
A Coordinated Effort Across the Cascades
Authorities quickly determined that Keen had mentioned plans to hike near Mount Pugh alone that weekend. A search-and-rescue deputy found his vehicle at the trailhead outside Darrington, launching an intensive operation that brought together Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue, Everett Mountain Rescue, Skagit Mountain Rescue, Tacoma Mountain Rescue, Olympic Mountain Rescue and Seattle Mountain Rescue.
Sheriff’s office helicopters scanned the steep, snow-covered ridges above the trail during the multi-day search. On May 12, mountain rescue teams were inserted by helicopter after equipment was spotted from the air and descended into the ravine where Keen’s body was discovered. A helicopter then transported his remains to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office, which will determine the cause and manner of death, the sheriff’s office said.
An Unforgiving Mountain
Mount Pugh offers stunning views of Glacier Peak, Sloan Peak, Mounts Baker, Shuksan, Rainier and the Olympic Mountains in the distance, drawing hikers each spring and summer. But the Washington Trails Association has long cautioned that the upper trail sections remain dangerously steep, exposed and often covered in snow well into late spring, making conditions treacherous and intimidating even for experienced hikers.
The vertical distance between where Keen’s gear was found and where his body lay suggests a catastrophic fall, though the medical examiner has not yet released findings and investigators have not determined whether weather, footing or another factor contributed.
‘Passion for People and Adventure’
Keen’s aunt, Karin Clemetson, identified her nephew and described him as someone who loved his church and lived with a “passion for people and adventure.”
“He enjoyed the outdoors, he enjoyed some adrenaline and he just enjoyed adventure,” Clemetson told The Seattle Times. She said Keen seemed upbeat before the hike and that one detail continues to trouble the family. “We’re just not quite sure why he went alone,” she said.
Mayon Hight, who owns Skydive Snohomish and worked closely with Keen, remembered him as a punctual, generous pilot who was nearly impossible to dislike. Colleagues noted that Keen routinely arrived 30 minutes before his shifts began, ready to take jumpers aloft for the day’s first load.
A Family Now Facing the Aftermath
Clemetson has started a GoFundMe campaign to help Keen’s mother, whose only child he was, cover funeral expenses and end-of-life costs. The campaign notes that Keen’s mother now faces both unimaginable grief and the practical burden of arranging her son’s burial.
At Harvey Field, where Keen spent much of his adult career flying skydivers over Snohomish, coworkers described his absence as conspicuous. They remembered a steady presence who measured his work not just in flight hours but in connections with passengers on every load, and who spent days off pursuing the same vertical thrills from the ground up.
The sheriff’s office has not disclosed additional details about when Keen reached the area where he was ultimately found. A positive identification from the medical examiner remains pending, along with a final determination of how he died on the mountain.
