It’s been nearly two weeks since loved ones have heard from a 22-year-old man from Winona after he embarked on a solo hike in a remote corner of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming earlier this month.

Austin King’s father, Brian King-Henke, has been leaning on hope as the days pass without word from his son.

“All you can do is wait hour by hour and minute by minute,” he said during an interview on Monday. “I’m not gonna give up until I get that call.”

RELATED: Search ongoing for missing Winona man in Yellowstone

King is his oldest child and someone King-Henke said is known for his big heart and natural athleticism.

“He could come up to you as a total stranger, and you guys would leave as friends,” he shared. “He had a smile that would brighten any day.”

King is a triathlon winner and full of outdoor survival skills, his dad said. He took those skills with him out to Yellowstone National Park where he’s been working recently.

“He was in his element,” King-Henke continued.

This month, King took on his toughest hike yet, making it to the top of the highest peak in the expansive park. He called his mother from the top of Eagle Peak on Sept. 17, King-Henke said. That was the last known time anyone heard from him.

The search effort kicked off three days later when King did not arrive for a scheduled pickup. Pictures from the park service show the expansive and hazardous remote region where King summited more than 11,000 feet.

According to the National Park Service, nearly 100 crew members from multiple agencies have been searching on the ground and in the air for the last ten days.

“You’re talking between 400-500 square miles that they’re dealing with right now,” King-Henke said, adding his thanks for the crews searching day after day.

As he holds onto hope, the National Parks Service is asking for the public’s assistance with any tips or suggestions, particularly from past hikers who know the area.

“We just need to bring him home,” King-Henke said. “‘Cause he has so much more to live.”

Find the latest updates on the search and rescue effort here. You can also submit a tip to the National Park Service here.

King-Henke set up a Gofundme to help support his family during this time.