At approximately 2:15 p.m. on August 23, 2013, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office requested Portland Mountain Rescue to recover the body of deceased hiker near Multnomah Falls. The hiker apparently had fallen from a location near the Larch Mountain Trail (Trail #441) down a steep slope near Ecola Falls on Multnomah Creek (approximately 1/2 mile south of Multnomah Falls).
By 4:00 p.m., the first team of PMR rescuers arrived at base. They reached the scene around 5:00 p.m. and developed a plan for raising the body from the creek back to the trail. A larger team of PMR rescuers then hauled a litter, ropes and other technical gear to the area. The rescuers first moved the body a short distance downstream to a better location. There they set up a rope system and raised the body to the trail. At the trail, they attached a single large wheel to the litter and transported the body back to the Multnomah Falls trail-head. All rescuers were out of the field by 8:15 p.m.
We offer our condolences to the victim’s family and friends. This mission is sad reminder that terrain in the Columbia Gorge poses significant dangers, especially when hikers venture even a short distance off trail.
