A Calgary man is among the latest hiking fatalities in Banff National Park. Lake Louise RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Susan Richter says the 33-year-old died on Saturday after travelling to the area with a group of friends to hike up the Big Beehive and the Devil’s Thumb. “He was a pretty experienced hiker and was travelling at a faster pace than some of his friends,” Richter explained. “On the way back from the Devil’s Thumb part of the hike, he decided he wanted to take a different, more advanced trail. His friends were not comfortable doing it, so they stuck with the more common, more safe trail — and they agreed to meet up at the end.” Richter says the man failed to meet up with his friends and wasn’t answering his phone, so they reported him missing. “Parks Canada visitor safety went to look for him using a helicopter. They could see from the air that it appeared that he had fallen down a cliff and he appeared deceased,” Richter says. RCMP and Parks Canada worked together to recover the hiker’s body. His was the second hiking death in the national park last week. On Wednesday, a 24-year-old died after a fall from Recondite Peak. Richter says the man from Jasper started hiking in the backcountry on Monday and was in regular contact with his family and friends using a satellite communication device. “His last message was sent out Tuesday around 6 p.m.,” she says. “When family still didn’t hear from him by the next day and his GPS co-ordinates didn’t change, they reported him missing.” His GPS co-ordinates last put him around the Recondite Peak. Parks Canada searched the area with a helicopter and was able to see that he had fallen. “At that point, Parks Canada reached out to RCMP and we worked together for the investigation and recovery,” Richter says. She says there have been five other hiking-related deaths in Banff National Park so far this year.
