LONE PINE — A hiker died after falling from an icy trail and plunging over a cliff on a California mountain, rescuers say.
Inyo County Search and Rescue got a report of a possible death “on Mount Whitney in the area known as the 99 Switchbacks off the Main Trail” shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday, October 25, rescuers said in a Facebook post.
According to rescuers, “a hiker had fallen from the trail and off a cliff.”
Rescuers said they readied a team of three and met with a California Highway Patrol helicopter team at Lone Pine Airport at 3:30 p.m.
However, with high winds in the area, rescuers said they could not reach the hiker’s location and postponed recovery efforts.
The following day, the hiker’s death was confirmed, according to rescuers.
Members of Mono County Search and Rescue hiked about 7 miles to the hiker’s location, rescuers said.
Mono County rescuers lowered the hiker’s body “to a more accessible area,” but again high winds pushed recovery efforts back, the rescue nonprofit said.
When weather conditions improved Monday, October 27, it allowed the helicopter team to respond to the area and rescuers recovered the hiker’s body, according to the nonprofit.
“Our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of the (hiker),” rescuers said.
The nonprofit emphasized that “Mount Whitney is already experiencing winter conditions, including snow and ice, very low temperatures, and frequent windstorms.”
“The Main Trail is no longer a casual hike but a mountaineering endeavor,” rescuers said. “The 99 Switchbacks are especially icy and slippery and should not be attempted without proper equipment, experience, and preparation.”
At 14,505 feet high, Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the lower 48 states, the National Park Service said.
It’s about 80 miles east from Fresno.
By DANIELLA SEGURA/McClatchy News
Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.
