SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, CA –On Friday, May 20, 2016, at 6:07 p.m., a hiker stopped at the Lodgepole Visitor Center in Sequoia National Park to report that another member of his party, a 26-year-old male from Tustin, CA, needed medical assistance for abdominal pain along the High Sierra Trail. After receiving the initial report, a team of two rangers (one Parkmedic, one EMT) hiked 6 miles in Sequoia National Park from Giant Forest to Mehrten Creek along the High Sierra Trail. At approximately 11:30 p.m. on Friday, May 20, 2016, the team arrived on the scene and found the hiker deceased. The body of the hiker was transferred to the Tulare County Coroner's OfficeonSaturday, May 21, 2016, at approximately 10:40 a.m. A total of 10 park staff assisted with search-and-rescue and recovery operations. The incident is under investigation.
