Photo: VAWiley / iStock / Getty Images
The body of a missing hiker was recovered from Mount Whitney after storms in the Sierra Nevada delayed rescue efforts for nearly a week, according to the Inyo County Sheriff's Office. The hiker, who has not been publicly identified, was found on the Mountaineer’s Route at about 13,600 feet after being reported overdue by motel staff in Lone Pine, California, late on October 19.
Officials said the hiker checked into a Lone Pine motel before telling staff he planned to hike Mount Whitney. When he failed to check out, staff alerted authorities, who then attempted to reach him using the department’s Rapid Deploy messaging system but received no response.
The search team located the hiker’s car at Whitney Portal, a main trailhead, on October 20. The U.S. Forest Service confirmed the hiker had secured a permit for the Mountaineer’s Route for October 18.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter located the hiker’s body later that day, but storms—including snow, ice, and freezing temperatures—forced authorities to postpone recovery until October 25. Nearly 2.5 inches of rain fell in the area between October 18 and October 19.
Once conditions improved, a search-and-rescue team hiked in from Iceberg Lake, navigating hazardous conditions to reach the body, which was covered in snow. The team was met by a helicopter, which airlifted the body off the mountain, while the rescue team returned on foot.
Authorities say identification is pending with the Inyo County Coroner’s Office. Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet above sea level, is the highest peak in the continental United States.