GRANITE FALLS, Wash. – Snohomish County Search and Rescue recovered the body of a Seattle man on the Gothic Basin Trail on Wednesday.
The sheriff’s office says the 30-year-old man fell through an ice bridge on the trail around 5 p.m. on July 24. He was hiking in the Gothic Basin area three miles up from Barlow Pass when the ice bridge collapsed as he was crossing it.
Both ice and snow boulders fell on top of him. The sheriff's office says he died at the scene.
Search and Rescue located the male Friday night, but were unable to recover the body due to dangerous conditions. Rescue teams returned early Saturday morning and again on Tuesday, but conditions were still too dangerous.
On Wednesday deputies with Search and Rescue were able to recover the man’s body with help from the sheriff’s office helicopter.
https://komonews.com/news/local/search-and-rescue-recovers-body-of-hiker-near-barlow-pass
That first major gully/stream crossing you get to, after emerging from the woods, can be very awkward with snow over it, or even partial snow.
This shot is from a 2006 TR by peppersteak'n'ale .
https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14993
Of course this may not be where the accident happened, but anybody going up there should be aware of the snow in the gullies, sometimes into August even. Like this year.
I too wonder if this occurred at one of the stream/gully crossings. They can be sketchy, very undermined.
Very sad, may he RIP., condolences to his family and friends
Always feels like you're taking some slight but real chance crossing snow covered drainages in spring or summer.
One solution for this is to probe the area in front of you with your ice axe or a large stick to determine the amount of undermining. The mountains of course don't guarantee a thing but it is the best option aside from downclimbing around. You of course visually look at the shape of the snowpack to see if there is any telltale sagging. This is routine for most members of this forum. It is pointed out as there are possibly other members who are unaware of this safety measure.
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