FRANKLYWNOW - Hope starting to fade for missing Guardsman’s family

Reality is setting in for the family of a missing Alaska National Guardsman. Nephi Soper went hiking in the Wolverine Peak area nearly one month ago and hasn’t been seen since.

His father, Ken Soper and his aunt, Pamela Soper, walked around the Prospect Heights trailhead Wednesday morning. It’s where a cab dropped Nephi Soper off on Feb. 18.

Walking in a fresh blanket of snow, the Sopers said it feels like they could be following in Nephi’s footsteps. Their hope that he’s alive is starting to fade.

“We’re probably as close to Nephi as we’re ever going to get right now,” Ken Soper said.

The Sopers are in awe of Alaska’s beauty, but Pamela Soper said that beauty has an ugly side.

“You look up at the mountain and it’s just so vast and it’s like how do you find somebody, even in that little area?” she said.

They know Nephi Soper is out there, somewhere, and they’re confident that one day, he’ll be found.

“We plan on having his body cremated and his ashes spread probably in this area,” Ken Soper said. “Because that’s where he loved.”

They said Nephi Soper pushed himself to overcome obstacles.

“Whether it’s emotional or whether it’s a physical mountain, overcoming that obstacle is the best feeling you can feel,” Ken Soper said.

This time, the Sopers feel he may have met his match.

The official search for Nephi Soper was called off after about a week, but the Alaska National Guard still flies over the area where he went missing on a regular basis. Hikers also frequent the area.

The post Hope starting to fade for missing Guardsman’s family appeared first on KTVA 11.