Hiker dies in fall from Pacific Crest Trail in San Jacinto Mountains

A hiker fell to his death on the icy Pacific Crest Trail in the San Jacinto Mountains on Friday, March 27, authorities said.

Rescuers were alerted about 9:30 a.m. that a man had fallen into a gorge, about 600 feet off the trail in the area of Apple Canyon Road and Bonita Vista Road. Riverside County sheriff’s deputies, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department, a California Highway Patrol helicopter and the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit responded to the area east of Mountain Center.

The helicopter spotted the hiker and his three companions. After initially being forced to land because of poor weather, the helicopter was able to lower a rescue crew that hiked to the victim, Cal Fire said. The rescuers found the victim dead.

That area of the mountains still has snow and ice, Cal Fire spokesman Rob Roseen said.

#PacificIncident [UPDATE] Rescuers are still attempting to reach the hiker's location. H60 has dropped a rescue crew down below cloud level & they are currently hiking towards the hiker's last known location. Resources will remain committed for several hours.

— CAL FIRE Riverside (@CALFIRERRU) March 27, 2020

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