Hiker falls up to 1,000 feet to his death day after another body found on same mountain

On Saturday, a 66-year-old man named Gary Idleburg fell between 800 and 1,000 feet while hiking on Sauk Mountain in Washington state's Northern Cascades, northeast of Seattle. Witnesses reported the incident, but emergency responders were unable to save him. The previous day, another hiker, Peter Kalapaca, aged 78, was found dead after going missing for a day under similar circumstances on the same mountain.

The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office coordinated extensive rescue efforts involving ground teams, air resources, K9 units, and mountain rescue personnel to locate both men. For Kalapaca's search alone, these measures extended into the evening hours before his body was found in steep terrain. The sheriff’s office expressed gratitude for the effort involved but acknowledged the tragic loss faced by both families.

While the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office did not provide specific details about the nature of the terrain or conditions that might have contributed to the incidents, they emphasized the importance of these efforts in providing closure to those affected by such tragedies.