YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — The physique of a hiker who went lacking in Yosemite Nationwide Park after being swept away by a chilly and fast-flowing creek as California’s epic winter snowpack melts was discovered over the weekend, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
Hayden T. Klemenok vanished July 2 whereas backpacking with a gaggle at Higher Chilnualna Falls, the Nationwide Park Service stated in an announcement.
He went lacking shortly after getting into Chilnualna Creek close to the path junction, the service stated. That part of the creek is a few dozen miles (20 kilometers) south of Yosemite Valley and incorporates a sequence of waterfalls and cascades that plunge a whole bunch of ft.
Klemenok’s physique was discovered Sunday and recovered Monday. How he died stays beneath investigation, stated Scott Gediman, a spokesperson with Yosemite Nationwide Park.
“The reason for demise is at the moment presumed to be unintended drowning.” Kelmenok’s sister, Taylor McKinnie, stated in an announcement posted on Fb. She did not instantly reply to a Fb message in search of remark.
Klemenok’s dad and mom instructed The San Francisco Chronicle that his buddies stated the day of the accident was sizzling and the 24-year-old from Petaluma, California, had gotten down on all fours to moist his face, however his fingers slipped and he went into the water.
“It’s the worst expertise any mother or father or household ought to undergo,” Michelle Klemenok stated.
California authorities have been warning the general public that rivers, streams and lakes are extraordinarily harmful this yr due to the huge runoff. The water is so chilly that an individual can lose muscle management inside minutes, officers say.
Regardless of the warnings, there have been repeated tragedies. Practically two dozen folks have drowned or gone lacking in California rivers since mid-April, in keeping with the Bay Space Information Group, which has been monitoring studies from native authorities.