Body of hiker recovered near Mount Rainier

Published 3:02 pm Saturday, September 28, 2013

By The Associated Press

LONGMIRE — Crews have recovered the body of a hiker from the steep slopes below a popular hiking trail at Mount Rainier National Park.

The wife of 66-year-old George Merriam reported him missing Thursday when he failed to return from a day hike on Pinnacle Peak south of Mount Rainier.

Rangers found the Lakewood man’s vehicle at the trailhead Thursday evening and launched a hasty search of the trail in the dark.

A helicopter crew spotted his body about 200 feet below the trail on Friday morning.

Ground teams spent seven hours recovering his body.

The trail climbs to a saddle in the Tatoosh Range between Pinnacle and Plummer Peaks, and is popular for its dramatic views of Rainier, Mount Adams and Mount St. Helens.

Some hikers scramble off-trail to the top of Pinnacle or Plummer peaks, but it wasn’t clear whether that’s what Merriam was doing.