Oregon hiker, 22, dies at Columbia River Gorge after falling off a cliff
A 22-year-old Oregon woman has plunged to her death while hiking in the Columbia River Gorge, officials say.
Elisha Macias fell an estimated 50 to 60 feet on Sunday after separating from a group of friends she was with near Horsetail Falls, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office told The Associated Press.
Around 4:20 p.m. on Sunday, a 911 caller reported seeing someone fall from a cliff near the Oneonta Trailhead, officials said. A few minutes later, a second caller also reported the fall and said bystanders were performing CPR.
Despite the CPR efforts, emergency responders declared Macias – who is from Hillsboro, about 20 miles west of Portland – dead at the scene.
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The sheriff's office told the AP that its search and rescue team assisted the medical examiner in recovering the body. The medical examiner is working to determine the official cause of death.
A volunteer trauma support group also responded to the scene to provide resources to those affected, officials also said.
The U.S. Forest Service describes the Columbia River Gorge as a "spectacular river canyon, 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep, that meanders past cliffs, spires, and ridges set against nearby peaks of the PNW’s Cascade Mountain Range."
The area is best known for Multnomah Falls, which the Forest Service says is the most visited natural recreation site in the region with more than 2 million annual visitors.
Macias’ death comes after another young hiker, 23-year-old Lucas Macaj of Colorado Springs, was found dead last week inside Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.
Macaj was recovered on Mills Glacier near Longs Peak, the park announced late Thursday night, with initial investigations indicating "he took a significant fall." Longs Peak is the tallest mountain in the park.
"Rocky Mountain National Park rangers completed an on-scene investigation and recovery operations took place by helicopter," park officials added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.