Bodies of 2 hikers found, recovered in Whatcom County
Authorities in recent days recovered the bodies of two hikers in Whatcom County who had been missing since last month in separate incidents.
On Monday, rescue workers recovered the body of a 34-year-old Canadian man in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
Gursimran Singh, of British Columbia, had been due back in Canada by June 29 and his last known location was at the South Twin of the Twin Sisters, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office. The parallel pair of olivine peaks top out just above 7,000 feet west of Mount Baker. The disappearance of Singh, also known as Gursimran Randhawa, sparked a broad search of the mountain.
On Sunday, an experienced hiker called in a report of possible remains at the north face of South Twin, said Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deb Slater. The Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team recovered his body Monday, according to the office’s Facebook page.
Singh was one of two people to go missing on hikes in Whatcom County in recent weeks.
On Saturday, a helicopter rescue crew recovered the body of Steven Dorsett, 55, off state Route 20. Dorsett had last been heard from June 24 while he was leaving the Canyon Creek Trailhead, near Crater Mountain, according to the sheriff’s office.
He’d planned to be exploring the wilderness for a maximum of 10 days, with a possible destination of Corral Lake, many miles east in the Pasayten Wilderness.
Ground search crews in National Forest land found hiking items, including a green pack and a tent, and they followed those items into a shallow portion of the river where Steven’s body was found, about 100 feet below the cliffs,” Slater said.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Steven’s family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office wrote in its post announcing Dorsett’s recovery.
The cause and manner of death for both men was expected to be determined by the Whatcom County medical examiner’s office.