GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. — A hiker who went missing in the Mount Hood National Forest this week has been found dead, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office (CCSO). Search and rescue crews had been looking along the Paradise Park Trail near Welches.
Family members of 33-year-old James Robert MacDonald of Ridgefield, Wash., reported to authorities around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday that he was overdue from what was expected to be a day hike. Although MacDonald was experienced, he did not carrying the proper gear for overnight conditions. CCSO said MacDonald been last heard from around 2 p.m. that day.
Volunteers from Clackamas County Search and Rescue responded that night, finding what appeared to be the missing hiker's tracks in the snow. But a search of the area did not find them overnight or the next day.
As the search continued, a number of other organizations joined efforts. Those included Portland Mountain Rescue, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue, the Hood River Crag Rats, a helicopter from the Oregon National Guard, a plane from the Hood River County Sheriff's Office, and drones deployed to give ground crews a better vantage point over rugged terrain.
Around 10:30 a.m. on Friday, a Portland Mountain Rescue team found MacDonald's body near the Hidden Lake Trail, which runs roughly parallel to the Paradise Park Trail.
The sheriff's office initially said that it will not release the hiker's identity until family members were notified and later released MacDonald's identity. Right now, CCSO said the hiker's death does not appear suspicious, but the county medical examiner's office will work to determine the cause of death.