Officials report two fatalities due to falls in separate hiking and climbing incidents at American parks over the past week.
Today, park rangers discovered a deceased climber on Denali, North America's highest peak. It is reported that the climber had been attempting a solo ascent of the mountain.
According to a news release from Denali National Park and Preserve, a loved one contacted the rangers on Sunday, expressing concerns as they hadn't heard from the climber for several days. This prompted the rangers to dispatch a mountaineering patrol who later found the climber's empty tent on the 16,200-foot ridge.
After interviewing other climbers and accessing the location data from the deceased's satellite communication device, the rangers concluded that the climber was last seen on May 15 while making his way across the 17,200-foot plateau towards Denali Pass at 18,200 feet. The last available update from the device was from May 16, suggesting that the climber had fallen from the Denali Pass traverse on that day. The climber was identified as having perished on Denali's West Buttress route.
Descending to high camp, the patrol secured the climber's remains and indicated that attempts to recover the body would take place when suitable weather conditions permitted. As of now, the name of the climber has not been revealed.
It is also noteworthy that 14 climbers have died as a result of falls on this section of the West Buttress route since 1980, including the soloist in this latest incident.
In similar tragic circumstantces, a 22-year-old woman called Elisha Angelic Macias met her demise while hiking in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area on Sunday. She was hiking with a group when she decided to leave the path and went off-trail.
It's reported by the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office that no one in the group witnessed her fall, but it is estimated to have been about 50-60 feet. Once first responders arrived, a fellow hiker was performing CPR, but the woman succumbed to her injuries and was declared dead on the scene.
These incidents represent a growing trend of fatal falls at US national parks and hiking spots. Recently, a 52-year-old woman lost her life along with another who was severely injured when they fell 1,000 feet while attempting to ascend Mt. Johnson in Denali National Park. Additionally, the body of a 23-year-old hiker who went missing during a storm was found at Rocky Mountain National Park, leading officials to believe that he had also fallen.
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After analyzing the data from the deceased's satellite communication device, it was determined that the climber was last seen with us on May 15. These incidents highlight the need for extra caution while hiking and climbing in American parks, as many fatal falls occur among us.
Source: edition.cnn.com
