SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. — A hiker who fell about 1,000 feet from a switchback trail on Sauk Mountain has died.
On September 19 at approximately 3:30 p.m., Skagit 911 received multiple emergency calls from hikers reporting that they had witnessed the man fall from the trail in Concrete.
The hiker was identified as 66-year-old Gary Idleburg of Olympia.
Hikers in the area found Idleburg and directed responding fire personnel to his location.
Emergency personnel immediately began lifesaving efforts; however, Mr. Idleburg was dead.
Due to the remote location and difficult terrain, Washington State Parks personnel and helicopter resources assisted Skagit County Search and Rescue with the recovery operation.
The mission was completed at approximately 8:00 p.m.
This is the second hiker death in the area within the last week.
Two days prior, a 78-year-old man got separated from his family while hiking Sauk Mountain.
During the evening hours, a helicopter flight crew found the man, identified as Peter Kalapaca, in steep terrain that was inaccessible to ground teams. He was dead when they found him.