Body of missing 66-year-old Hidden Lake Trail hiker believed found

SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. — The body of a 66-year-old hiker missing since May 22 at Hidden Lake Trail in Skagit County is believed to have been found, according to the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said searchers think they recovered the body of Thomas Simonseth of Mount Vernon.

A person’s body was found at 8:23 a.m. Thursday with the assistance of a Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office helicopter. However, deputies did not say specifically where the body was found.

Simonseth was hiking about 9 miles east of Marblemount and did not return home at 7 p.m. May 22.

The next day, two of his mountaineering friends hiked in the area and spent the night in hopes of finding him.

The search for Simonseth has been an ongoing effort since he never returned from his day trip to the trail.

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