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A hiker who missed his check out time at a Northern California motel has been found dead on Mount Whitney.
The guest, who has not been publicly identified, was discovered on the steep Mountaineer’s Route on Sunday, officials said.
The Inyo County Sheriff’s office said on October 19 they got a call from a motel in the town of Lone Pine about a visitor who had left personal belongings after failing to check out on time.
The motel staff said the guest had planned to hike in the area. The sheriff’s office made attempts to contact the hiker but messages went unanswered.
Deputies later located the person’s vehicle at Whitney Portal. Through coordination with the U.S. Forest Service officials confirmed the missing climber had a permit to hike Mountaineer’s Route, a steep, alpine scramble that gives a faster but much more dangerous path to the mountain’s highest point.
The California Highway Patrol helicopter later that day searched the area and located the hiker’s body.
But a winter storm rolled in and created hazardous ice and snow conditions that delayed the recovery efforts.
A week later recovery operations resumed with the Inyo County Search and Rescue (SAR) team navigating ice and snow at Iceberg Lake to reach the climber, whose remains were covered in snow.
The individual’s body was hoisted out of the area at approximately 13,600 feet by helicopter. The team then hiked back to the lake and were transported out of the area.
“The deceased individual was transferred to the Inyo County Coroner’s Office for positive identification,” the sheriff’s office said.
“The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office extends its sincere condolences to the individual’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
The deceased climber’s identity has yet to be publicly released.
Hiking the Mountaineer’s Route includes steep terrain, loose rock, and icy slopes, making it a place for climbers with “strong mountaineering skills, navigation experience, and appropriate gear,” according to AllTrails.
Mount Whitney is considered a highly challenging mountain with two main routes: the Mount Whitney Trail, a 21.7-mile round-trip with over 6,000 feet of elevation gain, and a 9.4-mile round-trip mountaineering route up the east face.
The mountain’s peak is at an elevation of 14,505 feet and is the highest point in the contiguous United States.
Deaths on Mount Whitney are not uncommon. One half of a hiking pair died in January after one of them decided to soldier on alone while the other turned back. The hiker who went on was later discovered dead by a search and rescue team.
Dangers of hiking the mountain include altitude sickness, falls, and, in the later months, brutally cold weather.