66-year-old climber dies in 1,200-foot fall from Oregon mountain, rescuers say
A 66-year-old missing climber was found dead after falling 1,200 feet from an Oregon mountain, according to deputies and news outlets.
John David Mulcahy, from St. Helens, had plans to summit North Sister and the Middle Sister mountain peaks on Aug. 15, the Deschutes County Search and Rescue Foundation said in an Aug. 22 news release.
But Mulcahy never returned from his hike that day, so his family called authorities, deputies said.
A search and rescue team went to the mountain to find the missing climber, along with an Army National Guard helicopter.
Rescuers spotted Mulcahy’s body from the helicopter at about 2 p.m. on Aug. 19, deputies said.
“Due to the location of Mr. Mulcahy the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue unit was unable to recover him,” deputies said.
Authorities believe he died in a 1,200-foot fall, the Central Oregon Daily reported.
His body was found on the eastern slope of North Sister, deputies told KTVZ.
This is the second climber death reported at North Sister in a little over a month.
On July 17, a 21-year-old man died in a 300-foot plunge while climbing North Sister with his girlfriend, McClatchy News reported.
Joel Tranby’s body was also not recovered from the mountain because of “extremely loose and steep rocky terrain,” the Lane County Sheriff’s Office said.
The North and Middle Sisters are mountain peaks in the Cascade Range in Oregon. They are west of Bend.
North Sister is 10,085 feet tall, and Middle Sister is 10,047 feet tall.
This story was originally published August 24, 2023 at 9:53 AM with the headline "66-year-old climber dies in 1,200-foot fall from Oregon mountain, rescuers say."
