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A hiker was found dead in mid-April on the trail that summits Mount Whitney in the eastern Sierra Nevada, officials said Monday. This is the fourth death on California’s tallest mountain in the last 12 months.
The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office received a call April 18 reporting a deceased body just below a section of the trail with 99 switchbacks.
Due to extreme winds and snowy conditions in the region, search and rescue teams were unable to recover the body until April 23 when the weather finally cleared. California Highway Patrol helicopters made two failed attempts in windy conditions before a helicopter crew successfully flew over and hoisted two search and rescue members at the location to recover the body.
The sheriff’s office said that deaths most often occur on the mountain in spring or early summer due to falls on snow and ice when a hiker “did not have or know how to use critical gear like crampons and an ice axe.”
“It is imperative that you are prepared with the proper gear and know how to use it,” the sheriff’s office said.
The National Park Service called on the public to heed the sheriff’s office’s warning.
“While there are wildflowers in the valleys, the mountains still hold significant hazards in spring,” a statement posted on the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Facebook page read. “Anyone attempting to summit Mount Whitney this time of year must be mentally and physically prepared for snow, ice, freezing temperatures, high winds, and limited visibility. Don’t count on a speedy rescue if things go badly.”
Whitney straddles Sequoia National Park and Inyo National Forest and is the most frequently climbed peak in the Sierra Nevada, the National Park Service said.
At 14,500 feet, Whitney is the tallest peak in the U.S. outside Alaska.
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