Hiker named after falling to his death on Mount Whitney

INYO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A man fell to his death on Mount Whitney over the weekend, Inyo County Search and Rescue reported Monday.

According to a fellow hiker who spoke with him on the trail, his name was Paul Jonathan Ortiz Jr.

The 29-year-old was hiking up the mountain’s 99 Switchbacks, a notoriously difficult trail, but according to Wes Ostgaard, the jagged path was especially treacherous that day.

“This was my 4th time up Whitney. I have made this trip with difficult conditions, but we had to turn back,” he said. “Winds were extremely intense, and with the recent snowfall, the wind was blasting snow in our faces, covering the trail, and in many cases, caused the trail to become invisible.”

Ostgaard said his group decided to cut their hike short because of how violent the conditions became. But on the way down, he saw a familiar face.

“As we descended, we discovered a body that slid down above the cables, made contact with the cables, then slid down about 70 feet,” he said. “I did not know him before the hike; however, we spoke a few times on the trail before I saw his body.”

Ostgaard was able to contact emergency services via Starlink around 12:30 p.m. Teams were ready to take off by 3:30 p.m., but SAR says the recovery was postponed due to high winds.

Rescuers tried again on Sunday, hiking approximately seven miles before getting to the scene of the accident. There, Mono County SAR was able to lower Ortiz’s body to a more accessible area. However, due to ongoing high winds, recovery was again postponed.

Weather conditions finally improved enough to send a helicopter out by Monday, and Ortiz was finally returned home to his family in Chula Vista.