A Westport man, reported missing earlier this week while hiking the Adirondacks in New York, was found dead Friday morning, according to media reports in the area.

Thomas Howard, 63, was reported missing Wednesday after starting a hike March 11 in Adirondack Park High Peaks, according to a report in the Albany Times Union newspaper.

Howard, who signed the trail register with a destination of Mount Colden, via the Trap Dike, was planning to return March 13, according to the newspaper.

The Trap Dike route, according to the Adirondack Explorer, is challenging and hikers there previously have had to be rescued by emergency responders.

New York State Police and rangers from the Department of Environmental Conservation had searched for Howard on foot, from the air and using sleds after he was reported missing, the Times Union said.

A press release on the incident issued Friday by New York officials provided no other details.

Howard was an economist who received a PhD in the field from Yale University, according to his LinkedIn profile. He received a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth and had attended the Hopkins School in New Haven.

He was married and the father of two daughters, according to the Times Union, and an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hiking and camping.

“The Howard family wishes to express their gratitude to the community and the searchers for their support,” New York officials said in a press release.

“The family asks for privacy as they grieve the loss of their loved one.”