Missing Hiker ID'd As Orange County Man After Fatal Fall Near Lake Tahoe

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A 57-year-old Orange County man who went missing on a Sierra Nevada backpacking trip was found dead after apparently having fallen on a rocky slope Saturday, authorities said Tuesday.

Stephen Bloor, of Santa Ana, was reported missing by his wife after she noticed that his GPS tracking decide remained in one place for hours, the Madera County Sheriff's Office reported.

According to the Orange County Register, Bloor had left Devils Postpile, near Mammoth Lakes, the morning of Friday, Aug. 18 for what was supposed to be a 180-mile solo hike to the Lake Tahoe area.

The report said Bloor was found off of the main trail to Garnet Lake from Devils Postpile, near Iceberg Lake at 10,000 feet elevation and just 3 miles southwest of Garnet.

Authorities said Bloor's wife had been unable to reach him by phone or through his satellite communication device before she called the sheriff to report him missing.

Searchers from both the Madera and Mono county sheriff's offices were aided by a California Highway Patrol helicopter in a search to find the missing hiker. On Saturday, Aug. 19, Bloor was found on a steep boulder field near Iceberg Lake.

No further information was immediately available.