BRINNON — A 45-year-old Brinnon man was found dead five miles beyond the Murhut Falls Trail in Olympic National Forest.
Nicholas A. Firey was located by Jefferson County Search and Rescue personnel Saturday evening after a companion had called 9-1-1 for assistance.
Earlier that afternoon, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Brinnon Fire Department responded to a report of a missing man within the Olympic Canal Tracts area of Brinnon, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff’s Det. Sgt. Brett Anglin said Firey and a companion were driving a truck up the trail Friday night and it got stuck. They proceeded to walk back down the hill and made it about a mile before Firey went over the side of the trail, Anglin said.
Attempts to reach the pair via cellphone were unsuccessful, leaving their whereabouts uncertain, according to the press release. The pair did not tell anyone where they were going or when they would be back, Anglin said.
After staying with him an estimated 18 hours and trying to prevent hypothermia, Firey’s companion began hiking out about 2 p.m. Saturday to find help, the release stated.
“The subject had left items in the road on his way down, so he was found quickly,” Anglin said.
Anglin said the other person walked out from the scene and located other people who were uninvolved at about 4 p.m. Then they drove to where they could get cell service and called for help, he said.
Emergency personnel from the Brinnon Fire Department, Jefferson Search and Rescue and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.
“(Firey’s companion) conveyed critical information regarding his companion, who had suffered a fall, found himself stranded 60 feet below an embankment and was hypothermic,” the release stated.
The 60-foot estimate was based on the length of rescue rope needed, Anglin said. The man’s injuries weren’t evident beyond suffering from hypothermia and having sustained the fall, he said.
“Regrettably, the 45-year-old Brinnon resident was discovered deceased,” the sheriff’s office stated in the press release. “Initial inquiries suggested that hypothermia and alcohol may have played a significant role in the tragic outcome.”
Anglin confirmed the pair had been hiking at night.
An autopsy is being scheduled by the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office, Anglin said.
The Murhut Falls Trail was converted from an old logging road, providing a smooth, easy tread, according to the Washington Trails Association website. It begins with a gradual ascent, then flattens out to a 130-foot plunging waterfall in just under a mile at 1,050 feet.
Then National Forest Road 2530 continues about 7.5 miles past the falls to Trap Pass.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at brian.gawley@peninsuladailynews.com.
