Hiker's body found in National Park

On Thursday, June 7, an overdue hiker was located by ground teams in the Paradise River drainage near 4th Crossing in Mount Rainier National Park.

The hiker, 76, set out on a day hike of Mazama Ridge at an unknown time on Wednesday, June 6. He was reported overdue at 8 a.m. the following day. At noon, hasty search teams began a ground search. The subject was located at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, June 7. He showed no signs of life and was released to the Pierce County Medical Examiner.

The subject was an experienced hiker and was known to carry essentials like a map and a compass. The incident command team was able to focus search efforts based on a note left for family notifying them of hiking plans.

There were 27 individuals involved in the search, including Olympic and Tacoma Mountain Rescues and Mt. Rainier park personnel.