Missing University Place hiker found dead
NORTH BEND, Wash. -- A 50-year-old University Place hiker who disappeared while on a solo day hike in the Cascade foothills has been found dead.
The body of John Wright was located just after 2 p.m. about 3,400 feet up Green Mountain, officials said. Rescue crews say it appears Wright had fallen about 200 feet to his death.
"We are searching for words and feeling the pain of this tremendous loss," said family friend Mark Horner.
Dozens of volunteers and rescue crews have been searching for Wright since he didn't come home from his hike on Friday. Searchers began combing the foothills near North Bend Saturday morning after authorities picked up a ping on Wright's cell phone in the Cedar Falls watershed area off Interstate 90.
Officials found his car still at the trailhead Saturday afternoon. Cindi West of the King County Sheriff's Office said crews expanded their search Sunday after receiving a credible report from another hiker who crossed paths with Wright on Friday and talked to him for a few minutes.
That witness, who saw Wright before he was reported missing, said Wright told him he was headed for the Green Mountain area of the Snoqualmie National Forest via a trail that is considered very difficult to hike. Officials said that Wright's body was found in that area.
Family members said he was an experienced hiker and a great person.
"John Wright was a wonderful friend, very thoughtful kind and considerate," Horner said. "He did love hiking -- and that was an understatement. He loved getting outdoors on any decent day."
Crews are going to attempt to retrieve Wright's body Monday afternoon while weather conditions were favorable.
The body of John Wright was located just after 2 p.m. about 3,400 feet up Green Mountain, officials said. Rescue crews say it appears Wright had fallen about 200 feet to his death.
"We are searching for words and feeling the pain of this tremendous loss," said family friend Mark Horner.
Dozens of volunteers and rescue crews have been searching for Wright since he didn't come home from his hike on Friday. Searchers began combing the foothills near North Bend Saturday morning after authorities picked up a ping on Wright's cell phone in the Cedar Falls watershed area off Interstate 90.
Officials found his car still at the trailhead Saturday afternoon. Cindi West of the King County Sheriff's Office said crews expanded their search Sunday after receiving a credible report from another hiker who crossed paths with Wright on Friday and talked to him for a few minutes.
That witness, who saw Wright before he was reported missing, said Wright told him he was headed for the Green Mountain area of the Snoqualmie National Forest via a trail that is considered very difficult to hike. Officials said that Wright's body was found in that area.
Family members said he was an experienced hiker and a great person.
"John Wright was a wonderful friend, very thoughtful kind and considerate," Horner said. "He did love hiking -- and that was an understatement. He loved getting outdoors on any decent day."
Crews are going to attempt to retrieve Wright's body Monday afternoon while weather conditions were favorable.
