Man falls over 800 feet to his death 1 day after another hiker found dead on same mountain

Rescue operations on Washington state’s Sauk Mountain concluded over the weekend after two hikers died in separate incidents on the peak. Gary Idleburg, 66, of Olympia, plummeted an estimated 800 to 1,000 feet after going over the edge of a switchback trail on Saturday afternoon, according to the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office. Witnesses who watched the fall contacted authorities at approximately 3:30 p.m., prompting an emergency response that led other hikers to locate Idleburg and guide responders to the remote site.

Emergency responders pronounced Idleburg dead at the scene. The recovery operation stretched until roughly 8 p.m. due to difficult terrain, according to the sheriff’s office.

Back-to-Back Tragedies on Sauk Mountain Trail

Idleburg’s fatal fall occurred just a day after search crews discovered another hiker dead on the same mountain. Peter Kalapaca, 78, was found unresponsive in a steep section of the trail on Friday night after being reported missing earlier in the week. Ground search teams initially combed the area, but Kalapaca was ultimately located in terrain too steep for ground crews to reach.

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A helicopter flight crew spotted Kalapaca on Friday and confirmed he had died. A different helicopter was later brought in to recover his remains from the inaccessible slope.

Northwest Washington Peak Carries Steep Risks

Rising to a peak altitude of 5,500 feet in the North Cascade mountain range, Sauk Mountain features a popular trail that covers just over four miles roundtrip. Despite its popularity in northwestern Washington, the mountain’s geography demands extreme caution from visitors.

According to the Washington Trails Association, the route is steep and narrow, and in some places eroded from hikers cutting the switchbacks. The association notes that multiple people have fallen to their deaths while navigating the trail over the years.