A 66-year-old Washington man died after falling an estimated 800 to 1,000 feet while hiking in the Northern Cascades last weekend, authorities said.
Gary Idleburg, an Olympia native, was navigating a switchback trail on Sauk Mountain northeast of Seattle last Saturday when he fell, according to the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses reported the accident, and emergency crews performed life-saving measures at the scene. Idleburg was later pronounced dead.
Sauk Mountain Trail is pictured on a clear day. (U.S. Forest Service)
The fatal fall came one day after another hiker was found dead in steep, difficult-to-reach terrain on the same mountain.
Authorities identified that hiker as 78-year-old Peter Kalapaca, who had been missing for approximately a day.
The sheriff’s office expressed its condolences to Kalapaca’s family and loved ones, saying that although nothing can ease the loss, the extensive response effort provided the family with some measure of closure.
Both men were located in challenging terrain that was difficult to access. (U.S. Forest Service)
Officials said Idleburg was found in what they described as “difficult” terrain.
Sauk Mountain lies in Washington’s Northern Cascades. (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The search for Kalapaca involved ground crews, aircraft, air-scent K9 teams and mountain rescue personnel, who continued working into the evening.
Witnesses later helped guide rescuers to the location where Idleburg was found after his fall.
