Hiker dies after fall on Washington mountain trail days after other hiker found dead
A hiker fell to his death during a trek through the Sauk Mountain trails last week, days after another hiker was found dead after going missing, investigators in Washington state said.
Gary Idleburg, 66, of Olympia, Washington, was hiking on a switchback trail Saturday and fell approximately 800 to 1,000 feet after going over the edge of the trail, the Skagit County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Nearby hikers who saw him fall called the authorities, who rushed to the location, but Idleburg was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff's office said.
His death took place two days after Peter Kalapaca, 78, was reported missing while hiking the mountain.
Search and rescue teams combed the trails to find Kalapaca, and on Friday, a helicopter flight crew located him in steep terrain that was inaccessible to ground teams, the sheriff's office said.
When crews got to his location, he was found unresponsive and declared dead, according to the sheriff's office.
