Gig Harbor man dies while hiking in Death Valley National Park canyon
Despite the life-saving efforts of his fellow hikers, a 66-year-old Gig Harbor man died while hiking in California’s Death Valley National Park on April 5, the National Park Service announced Friday.
The unidentified man, who was hiking with his wife, was about one mile up the popular Mosaic Canyon Trail when he appeared to have suffered an acute medical event, according to the National Park Service (NPS).
Hikers used the satellite SOS function on their cell phone to call for help at 9:45 a.m., according to the NPS. Other hikers, including a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner, attempted to revive the man.
Park rangers arrived around 10:30 a.m. and joined the resuscitation efforts, the NPS said. The man was declared dead about 30 minutes later.
The man’s body was carried to the trail head by a NPS search and rescue team and transferred to the Inyo County Coroner.
Death Valley National Park is the nation’s largest conserved desert landscape and contains some of the most extreme climate and topographic conditions on the planet, according to the NPS. Most of the park is located in California with a small portion residing in Nevada.
This story was originally published April 27, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
