Hiker, 71, dies in fall

A 71-year-old Mission Valley man fell to his death while hiking with family members in the Mission Dam Reservoir recreation area Saturday.

The man was hiking in the Garden Wall area above the reservoir when he slipped and fell over a cliff next to the trail, falling about 250 to 300 feet.

He was located at the base of the cliff and determined to be deceased.

Immediately after receiving a 911 call reporting the incident, a team made up of personnel from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Search and Rescue, Confederated Salish Kootenai tribal government and the St. Ignatius Fire Department responded and spent the night recovering the hiker’s body.

The recovery team of about 20 people had to hike in and carry the body on a traverse to reach a downslope trail. The team had to cut through heavy downed timber and thick brush about 300 yards to reach the trail. A basket litter was used to carry the body about 1.5 miles to the trailhead.

The team reached the trailhead at about 2 a.m. Sunday.

The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of other family members.