Search Is Underway for 23-Year-Old Hiker Who Has Been Missing for 5 Days in Montana Forest

Carbon County Sheriff's Office Tatum Morell

Authorities in Montana are on the hunt for a missing hiker who has not been seen or heard from since Thursday.

Members of the Red Lodge Search and Rescue team and the Carbon County Sheriff's Office are asking for help in finding Tatum Morell, 23, who is missing in Custer Gallatin National Forest, the sheriff's office said in a news release.

Morell, an experienced hiker, began her trek on the West Fork Trail Head Thursday afternoon with a plan to hike to the top of five mountain peaks in the area, authorities said.

She was last heard from around 8 p.m. that night, when she checked in with her mother using an InReach device.

An InReach is a satellite communication device that allows users to send and receive messages, navigate routes, track their journeys, and if need be, trigger an SOS to call for help from a global emergency response coordination center.

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Morell has an orange and gray tent set up in the area of Shadow Lake, and authorities shared photos of her wearing a large, dark green backpack, a baseball cap and a black shirt and pants.

The West Fork Trail Head, which is slightly more than seven miles total, is "heavily trafficked," and features several waterfalls, according to AllTrails.com. It sits right outside the southern Montana city of Red Lodge.

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Anyone with information as to Morell's whereabouts is asked to contact the Carbon County Sheriff's Office at 406-446-1234.