Remains may be those of missing hiker

MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, Wash. – Remains found on Mount Rainier may be those of a 64-year-old Tacoma man who went missing while hiking last year, a park official said Tuesday.

Visitors exploring the Frying Pan Glacier discovered the remains Sunday, the News Tribune reported.

Mount Rainier National Park spokesman Kevin Bacher said Tuesday the location and other factors are consistent with a hiker who went missing on the Wonderland Trail on July 12, 2014. His family has been notified.

Edwin Birch was last seen by his son as they hiked the popular trail that loops Mount Rainier. They were doing a 19-mile day hike between Box Canyon and White River, starting from opposite ends.

The son saw his father at the midpoint, but when the son got back to their vehicle and went to pick up his father, he couldn’t find him.

Park officials spent a week searching for Birch.