Published September 29, 2026 01:44PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n What to Know:<\/strong> Early snow, icy trails, and vanishing daylight make autumn one of the trickiest times in the backcountry. After four tragic hiker deaths in Washington in a single week, search and rescue volunteers share how to navigate fall\u2019s hidden hazards.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Neil Gehring<\/a>, 26, went missing during an overnight backpacking trip in Olympic National Park. He set out on August 31<\/a> for a two-day traverse from Boulder Lake to Appleton Pass, starting and ending at the Madison Falls Trailhead. He would never return home.<\/p>\n Gehring was found dead<\/a> on September 13 on the northwest slope of 6,000-foot Mount Appleton.<\/p>\n Doug McCall, president of Seattle Mountain Rescue, was among the volunteer search-and-rescue officials that participated the mission to find Gehring. His team searched for nearly two weeks, using cellphone-location data<\/a> to aide in the mission.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just wish we could have found him sooner,\u201d McCall told Outside<\/em>.<\/p>\n Gehring died of extensive blunt trauma, coroner Rebecca Shankles confirmed to Outside<\/em>. Based on the extent of his injuries, and where he was found 300 feet below the trail, Shankles said it\u2019s likely he lost his footing and fell down the side of the mountain.<\/p>\n Gehring was\u00a0one of at least four hikers who have been found dead in Washington State in less than a month. On September 19, 66-year-old Gary Idleburg<\/a> died on Sauk Mountain after plummeting 1,000 feet after going over the edge of a switchback trail, according to the Skagit County Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/a>. The day before, Peter Kalapaca, 78, died on the same mountain<\/a>. Oklahoma woman Sybil Claborn, 45, died of hypothermia in the Enchantments after she and her husband were stranded overnight in a snowstorm on September 13.<\/p>\n Experts told Outside<\/em> that September presents very specific hazards to those who venture into the mountains, in Washington State and elsewhere. As summer transitions to fall, changing conditions mean shorter daylight, rapidly shifting weather, and slippery trail conditions that pose certain seasonal dangers.<\/p>\n \u201cMore and more people are getting out in the mountains, and statistically, that just means there\u2019s a higher likelihood of incidents occurring,\u201d McCall said. \u201cSeattle Mountain Rescue has been around for 80 years, and year-over-year, we see a trend of increasing incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n McCall said his team sees an uptick in fall rescues. Outside<\/em> spoke\u00a0with him and Rob Brewer of the National Association for Search and Rescue, to learn more about how to safely hike when changing conditions present hidden dangers.<\/p>\n According to National Park Service mortality data<\/a>, roughly 30 people die every year in U.S. national parks. It\u2019s not just hikers\u2014this dataset includes people who could be sightseeing as well, and can be as simple as a wrong step.<\/p>\n Washington is home to three national parks:\u00a0Olympic, Mount Rainier, and the North Cascades, all of which include rugged mountain peaks and highly volatile alpine environments.\u00a0Since the American Alpine Club started tracking in 1951, Washington has had more reported accidents than any other state or region, Climbing <\/em>reported<\/a> in February.<\/p>\n Washington has 2,134 climber accidents recorded since 1951, followed by California, with 1,798 accidents. Washington also ties with California for most climber fatalities to date (378 per-state).<\/p>\n With its wet, maritime climate and northern latitude, Washington sometimes experiences fall conditions earlier than in other states, as storms dump rain and even snow on the highest peaks as early as mid- to late-August. These storms can blow in off of the Pacific and quickly drench trails and send the thermometer plummeting.<\/p>\n When it comes to hiking in the backcountry, McCall said that as leaves fall to the ground and freezing rain moves through high-alpine environments, the ground can become extra slippery.<\/p>\n Hikers should always be aware of their surrounding areas. They should also bring spikes, shoes with traction, and hiking poles because the ground can erode in bad weather.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Pacific Northwest, the days are getting shorter, and the time will change soon,\u201d McCall said. \u201cA lot of times people will forget a headlamp, just thinking that it\u2019ll be nice weather, but it gets dark faster. We will have an increase [of rescues] typically in the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n Autumn also brings shorter daylight hours paired with rapid weather shifts.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the days get shorter, you can get sudden snowstorms,\u201d McCall said. With it getting darker sooner, he adds that hikers will forget critical cold weather gear, especially if they start a hike in nice weather.<\/p>\nAvoiding Accidental Falls in the Autumn<\/h2>\n
Shorter Daylight and Sudden Storms<\/h2>\n