Missing Kamloops Hiker Found Dead in Washington State Mountains

Shraddha Tripathy

7/16/20262 min read

A Kamloops hiker who had been missing for two weeks has been found dead in Washington state.

Gursimran Singh, 34, had been on a solo hiking trip in the Twin Sisters mountain range in Whatcom County.

He was expected to return on June 28, but when he did not come back, his family contacted Kamloops RCMP. Police then reached out to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office for assistance.

Search and rescue teams conducted ground and aerial searches over a two-week period.

Body Recovered From Mountain Face

Deb Slater with the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office said Singh’s body was recovered on July 12 on the north face of the south twin.

Authorities were notified after another hiker found him.

Slater said the recovery was especially difficult and thanked the Snohomish County helicopter rescue team for helping bring Singh home.

She said the recovery allowed Singh’s family to have some closure.

Experienced Hiker Known for Long Mountain Trips

Slater described Singh as an experienced hiker who was known to spend weeks at a time in the mountains.

Mountain guide and rescue volunteer Jason Martin, who has hiked in the area, said the terrain where Singh went missing included a steep descending snow slope with a large crack in it.

“It’s assumed that he slipped or fell at some point and went into the hole,” said Martin, who is also director of the American Alpine Institute.

Martin said anyone heading into the wilderness for an adventure accepts some level of risk.

“Unfortunately sometimes there are accidents,” he said. “That can happen in any wilderness setting. It’s just so unfortunate that this happened to such a young vibrant guy.”

Solo Hikers Urged to Carry Tracking Devices

Martin said hikers and climbers who travel alone in remote wilderness areas should consider carrying a satellite messaging device.

He said devices with a “breadcrumb” tracking feature can allow loved ones to follow a person’s route and help search teams narrow down an area if someone goes missing.

For search crews, that kind of information can make a rescue or recovery effort less labour intensive and more focused.

Singh’s death has left his family and the hiking community mourning the loss of an experienced outdoorsman known for his time in the mountains.

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