Hiker Who Kept Climbing California's Mount Whitney After Friend Turned Back Found Dead

CBS Los Angeles

January 22, 2026 / 5:06 AM PST

A hiker who kept climbing California's Mount Whitney after a fellow hiker turned around has been found dead, according to a volunteer group.

The Inyo County Search and Rescue (SAR) team, which works under the authority of the local sheriff's office, says it was notified Monday that a hiker on the mountain was overdue.

The group says two hikers started climbing the mountain late Saturday night and kept going into Sunday. At roughly 3:30 p.m., while they were near the 12,500-foot level, one hiker decided it was safer to turn around and go back down, but the other one kept going.

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