Around 1:50 p.m., on Wednesday, August 24, dispatchers received a report that a hiker saw what they believed was a body at the bottom of a cliff on the Angel’s Rest Trail in the Columbia River Gorge.
A member of Portland Mountain Rescue happened to be on the trail recreating and hiked down to confirm the person was deceased.
The Multnomah County Search & Rescue (MCSOSAR) team was activated, and deployed to recover the person’s body around 4:30 p.m. They located the deceased approximately 2.5 miles from the trailhead. Due to the terrain conditions, they were unable to recover the body on Wednesday. MCSOSAR and a deputy spent the night at the top of Angel’s Rest.
At 7:40 a.m. Thursday, a second team of MCSOSAR members and the Hood River Crag Rats hiked up the trail to assist with the recovery. They are still in the process of bringing the deceased off the trail.
The deceased hiker was believed to be alone, and the circumstances of their death are being investigated. They will be identified when next of kin notifications are complete.
We would like to thank Gresham Police Department and Hood River Crag Rats for their assistance.
