MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK — Mount Rainier National Park officials said the body of a 69-year-old hiker was recovered after he was reported overdue by family members.
Officials said search teams recovered the man’s body Friday above Paradise.
Park officials started searching Thursday after family members reported that he didn’t return from a Wednesday hike to Pebble Creek in thunderstorms, sleet and hail.
The hike he had been on was one of several recent conditioning trips he had taken to prepare for a Mount Rainier summit climb.
The hiker was found by aerial search Thursday afternoon near the base of the Nisqually chute.
Officials said unsettled weather conditions kept the helicopter recovery from happening until Friday.
The man’s name wasn’t released. The incident is under investigation.
