Hiker takes ill, dies on Sequoia National Park trail

A 26-year-old Tustin man was found dead by a rescue team along a Sequoia National Park trail after he was reported to be having abdominal pain, a park spokeswoman said.

Dana Dierkes said the man was dead when rangers reached him on the High Sierra Trail about 11:30 p.m. Friday. A member of the man’s party had alerted rangers at Lodgepole Visitor Center about 6 p.m. about the medical crisis. Two rangers hiked six miles from Giant Forest to Mehrten Creek, where the body was found. It was turned over to the Tulare County coroner’s office on Saturday morning.

The cause of death is being investigated.

This story was originally published May 21, 2016 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Hiker takes ill, dies on Sequoia National Park trail."