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A 60-year-old backpacker taking a solo trip to the Grand Canyon was found dead near a remote trail, according to Arizona law enforcement officials.
The National Park Service said the North Carolina resident was found by helicopter on Wednesday near a trail connecting the Lower Tapeats and Deer Creek camps. The sites can be accessed via the north rim along a river bend, and is approximately 29 miles (46.6km) north-west of Grand Canyon Village.
According to the NPS, the hiker was undertaking a multi-day backpacking trip from Thunder River to Deer Creek.
The hiker's family notified NPS officials on Tuesday that the man failed to check in with them, which prompted a search.
Coconino County officials are investigating his cause of death. The man's name has not been released to the public, the Guardian reports.
It's been a deadly month at the Grand Canyon; the backpacker is believed to be the sixth person to die at the iconic location in less than a month, and is the 14th fatality at the landmark this year.
According to NPS officials, there were 11 deaths in 2023, and said there are typically 10 to 15 deaths at the canyon this year.
On Sunday, an 80-year-old man, who has not been identified, died while taking a commercial river trip at Fossil Rapid, approximately 10 miles (16km) upriver from Tapeats Creek. The man fell out of the commercial boat and drowned.
A 20-year-old woman from New Mexico was found dead on August 8 near Twin Overlooks, and the body of Chenoa Nickerson, 33, who was visiting the canyon from Phoenix, was found on Sunday after she was swept away by a flash flood while hiking on August 22.
Justine Guthrie, a 43-year-old woman from Missouri, died on August 1 while she was attempting an illegal BASE jump, and Abel Joseph Mejia, 20, fell to his death at the canyon's south rim on July 31.
Accidents and heat-related illnesses tend to make up the majority of fatalities at National Parks. The NPS makes safety guidelines for each park available on individual park website and in informational material freely available at the parks. Particularly dangerous areas are often marked with warning signs inside the parks, and guests are always advised to stay on marked trails and away from ledges.
