Aussie found dead on a US hiking trail identified as young Melbourne man Will Standish

A young man who died trying to complete a colossal hike across North America has been identified as a beloved outdoorsman from Melbourne.

Will Standish, 28, was attempting to complete the more then 4800km-long Continental Divide Trail from Canada to Mexico when he was declared missing on July 26.

Standish was late to his next check in point and a search party was dispatched. His body was found days later in the Wigwams, a region of a mountain range in Wyoming named the Tetons.

“Evidence suggests that he may have fallen from a steep, high-altitude ridgeline that separates Grand Teton National Park and the Jedediah Smith Wilderness,” Teton County Search and Rescue said.

It was Standish’s second attempt at the gruelling trail, after a foot injury forced him to abandon his first try in 2024.

The feat would have added to his impressive list of treks around the world, including in Nepal, Sweden, Papua New Guinea, Australia and the US.

But now his family face the heartbreaking task of organising his remains to be transported back to Australia.

“Our beautiful Will — his heart and soul are forever in the mountains,” his family said.

“Rest in eternal sunshine. Dance with the stars.”

A community of Standish’s “trail friends” have since launched a GoFundMe to help the family pay for the repatriation of his body.

“Will was a funny, adventurous spirit that brought laughter to every situation,” the fundraiser reads.

“To be around him was to be infused with his unbridled joy for every aspect of life.

“His sudden passing has left his family to navigate a painful loss that no family is ever truly prepared for.”

A group of hikers who document the wild hike, the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, said the the community has “lost a bit of light this week” and noted he had started his second attempt “stronger than ever”.