Body of missing hiker recovered from Mount Whitney after storm delay

Authorities have recovered the snow-covered body of an unidentified hiker on Mount Whitney after a severe storm delayed retrieval operations for five days, the Guardian and the New York Post reported. A search helicopter originally located the body on the Mountaineers Route, according to the New York Post. [1][2]

The response began on 19 October when a motel in Lone Pine alerted the Inyo County Sheriff Office that a guest had failed to check out on time, the Guardian and the New York Post reported. Motel staff discovered personal belongings left behind in the room after the guest missed checkout, according to the New York Post. [1][2]

The Inyo County Sheriff Office offered condolences to the family of the hiker in a statement, as reported by the Guardian. Officials have not publicly identified the victim. [1][2]

Mount Whitney stands at an elevation of 14,505 feet in the Sierra Nevada range, making it the highest point in the contiguous United States. It sits on the border of Inyo and Tulare counties in California, as FTMQ News reported earlier. [7][10]