A 53-year-old hiker who died after falling from a cliff while descending a California mountain had sent a final text message saying he was on his way down after reaching the summit, according to rescuers. Brian Seibert’s body was found more than 72 hours after he went missing during his descent from Mount Morgan, a 13,754-foot mountain in the Sierra Nevada range.
The Mono County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team said Seibert was reported missing on Monday, October 5, after he failed to return to his vehicle at the expected time.
His last known communication was around 7 pm on Sunday, October 4, when he indicated that he had begun making his way down the mountain.
Search operation spans three days
Rescuers set up a base at a campground near the foot of Mount Morgan as teams began looking for the missing climber. The search involved analysing photographs to match the mountain’s terrain, examining mobile phone data and using search dogs to inspect Seibert’s vehicle, according to an official statement.
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The initial search did not yield any clues about his whereabouts, leading the rescue team to widen the operation and bring in additional personnel and resources, the New York Post reported.
{{/usCountry}}The initial search did not yield any clues about his whereabouts, leading the rescue team to widen the operation and bring in additional personnel and resources, the New York Post reported.
{{/usCountry}}On Tuesday, October 6, an aircraft assisting with the search spotted what rescuers described as an 'anomaly' near the bottom of Grand Central Couloir, a steep gully on the eastern side of the mountain’s summit.
“Just after 1400 hours [on Tuesday, Oct. 6], the Schooner crew identified an anomaly from the air near the bottom of Grand Central Couloir, which is a prominent east-facing gully off of the summit proper,” the rescue team said.
A separate group of rescuers, which had been tracking a single set of footprints leading down the couloir, subsequently reached the location. They confirmed that the person they had found was Seibert.
Body recovered by Yosemite rescue team
The search team determined that Seibert had suffered a fatal fall from a cliff ledge at the base of Grand Central Couloir. The difficult terrain prevented rescuers from recovering his body on Tuesday evening.
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“Due to the extremely challenging nature of the terrain between Brian’s location and the nearest landing zone, it was determined that there would be insufficient time to safely complete the recovery that [Tuesday],” the rescue group said.
His body was retrieved early the following morning with the assistance of a Yosemite National Park helicopter and a crew from Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR).
The operation required extensive resources, with the search team recording a total of 305 hours of work over the three days spent locating and recovering the missing hiker.
Rescuers pay tribute to experienced mountaineer
Seibert was described by the rescue team as a 'peak bagger', a term commonly used for hikers who seek to reach multiple mountain summits.
“The Team sends its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and Eastside community for the loss of Brian Seibert,” the agency said in its statement.
The rescue team’s account detailed the challenges involved in locating Seibert in the rugged mountain terrain and recovering his body after the fatal fall.