Two people died in Sequoia National Park this weekend, one on Mount Whitney and one in the Kaweah River.

On Friday afternoon, a group of climbers descending the eastern slope of Mount Whitney crossed paths with a solo climber who was heading up the Mountaineer’s Route. Like the commonly used trail to the 14,494-foot peak, this route starts at Whitney Portal, but it is far more challenging. Sometime later, the group saw a backpack fall and realized that the climber they passed may have fallen. As soon as they were able to obtain a cell signal, they called 911, reporting the incident to the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office.

ICSO started an investigation, but it was too dark to begin an aerial search. At first light on Saturday, they began a helicopter search and spotted the man’s body after about four hours. He had apparently been traversing the north face of Mount Whitney, an area with snow and ice, when he fell. Because this area is in Sequoia National Park, ICSO contacted the National Park Service, which is began an effort to retrieve the victim this morning.

The second fatality occurred on Saturday afternoon. A 21-year-old woman from Tulare, California, and three friends were near the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River downstream from the Hospital Rock Picnic Area, six miles inside the Sequoia park entrance on Highway 198. The woman fell into the river and was swept away. Her friends contacted the park for help, and a search and rescue response was initiated.

Downstream, another visitor saw the woman in the river and managed to get her out. Wesley Mungin of Hanford, California, got the victim to shore and administered CPR near Potwisha Campground.

“Although the rivers of the parks are beautiful and picturesque, they are still an extremely dangerous place to recreate. Due to the record-level snowpack, the rivers with their fast, cold water continue to rise. Please give these environments the respect they deserve for your own personal safety,” ranger Chris Waldschmidt said.

The National Park Service was assisted in responding to this incident by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, Tulare County Fire Department, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Exeter Ambulance.