A 49-year-old man from Santa Clara County died final week whereas mountaineering Mt. Shasta, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned this week.
On Might 17, David Lopez of Campbell collapsed whereas approaching Helen Lake — a broad, flat, snow-covered plateau with a view of the steep incline that begins simply above it — along with his climbing companion, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned in an announcement.
Simply earlier than 7 p.m., the sheriff’s division mentioned, its dispatchers acquired a Garmin inReach emergency notification from 9,500 ft up the Avalanche Gulch path. Lopez had develop into unresponsive.
It was too darkish for pilots to make an air rescue, the sheriff’s division mentioned.
Lopez’s climbing companion, whose identify was not launched, instantly started CPR, persevering with till U.S. Forest Service climbing rangers and the sheriff’s search and rescue group discovered the pair and tried to revive the fallen hiker, in keeping with authorities.
Lopez couldn’t be resuscitated. Rescuers carried his physique down the mountain to Bunny Flat, the place they had been met by on the trailhead by a sheriff’s deputy who pronounced Lopez useless at 10:49 p.m., the sheriff’s workplace mentioned.
The reason for demise has not been decided, pending an post-mortem, authorities mentioned.
“The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Workplace affords its most heartfelt condolences to the Lopez household and mates and expresses its appreciation to the USFS Climbing Rangers and SAR group for his or her speedy response to the misery name and lifesaving efforts,” the sheriff’s assertion learn.
In a touch upon the sheriff’s Fb web page, Monterey County Supervisor Wendy Root Askew mentioned Lopez, who was referred to as Davy, “lived life in a means that introduced a lot mild and pleasure to everybody he met.”
In June 2022, Jillian Webster, an expert mountain information, was ascending Avalanche Gulch tethered to 2 purchasers when one of many climbers misplaced their footing, inflicting all three to slip down the mountain. Webster died, and her purchasers had been badly injured.
Though dozens have died whereas climbing the mountain through the years, the demise of Webster, 32, shocked the climbing group and raised questions in regards to the rising reputation of summiting Mt. Shasta, a snow-capped volcano that rises 14,179 ft above the north finish of the Central Valley.
The identical day Webster and her purchasers fell, two different climbers plummeted down Avalanche Gulch, falling greater than a thousand ft and struggling severe accidents.
