Hiker Dies Near Hawksbill Crag Today

A hiker from Kansas fell to his death along the trail to Hawksbill Crag this afternoon. Ernst was the first one on the scene and found the body - the hiker had died on impact. It took several hours to hoist the body back up the 70-foot tall bluff, and then another hour to carry him back out to a county road. More than 30 government and volunteer search and rescue folks came together for the recovery mission - these folks do an incredible job. Please be careful out there.

That is the one thing I fear the most about taking my boys out onto the trail with me. My heart goes out to his family.

This is very sad. I hope this needless death and others doesn't lead to more regulations in the backcountry.

No need for regulations - it was a simple accident. The young man climbed up onto a large rock to get a better view, then slipped and fell to his death. Could have happened to anyone, anywhere. The bluffline in this wilderness area is more than 75 miles long. If you built a fence around every bluffline in the world people would still fall off and die. Life is dangerous - the most dangerous part of being in the woods is driving to and from the trailhead. Actually one point that I find quite amazing, especially considering how many people visit each year and how close many of them come to the edge - no one has ever fallen off of the nearby Hawksbill Crag.

This really bums me out. I was just there about a week ago.

Rest in peace friend.

I really get nervous around ledges. You'd think I'd be use to them by now, but they make my legs jitter. When I encounter hikers and lookers that haven't been around them much, and see them sit down on the edge and dangle their feet, I really get nervous! Especially if I've accompanied them, their fall is not something I want to deal with or have to explain.