Two Fatal Hiking Accidents Reported on Sauk Mountain

A tragic incident occurred last weekend as a man from Washington State fell between 800 to 1,000 feet to his death while hiking. The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office reported that 66-year-old Gary Idleburg fell from Sauk Mountain, located in the Northern Cascades northeast of Seattle, while navigating a switchback trail. Witnesses observed Idleburg’s fall, and despite the efforts of emergency responders, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Just one day before Idleburg’s accident, another hiker was discovered dead on steep terrain on the same mountain. Peter Kalapaca, a 78-year-old who was reported missing for a day, was found in challenging terrain. The sheriff’s office expressed condolences to Kalapaca’s family, acknowledging the strong efforts of the search teams to provide closure for them.

“While nothing can lessen the loss of a loved one, we are grateful for the extraordinary effort made by everyone involved, which allows some measure of closure for the family,” the sheriff’s office stated.

Rescue operations for Kalapaca involved ground teams, air resources, air-scent K9 units, and mountain rescue personnel who worked late into the evening. Witnesses directed rescuers to the site where Idleburg was located after his fall.