BAR HARBOR — Two Massachusetts hikers have died after apparently falling about 100 feet along ice-covered cliff bands on Dorr Mountain in Acadia National Park, officials said Saturday.
Rescue crews started to search for the 28-year-old man and 30-year-old woman from Rutland, Massachusetts, on Friday evening after family members reported them overdue, the National Park Service said. They had not been heard from since around noon Thursday and did not check out of their hotel as planned or return to their vehicle, officials said.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter with thermal imaging technology was used in the overnight search, the park service said. Park staff and volunteers did a ground search on Saturday and found the bodies late Saturday morning.
The hikers’ names were not released.
The search operation is the second at the park this month. On March 3, a 26-year-old hiker became stranded on an icy, near-vertical section of the Precipice Trail. The man spent four hours on the hillside, wedged against a tree, before a helicopter crew from the Maine Air National Guard rescued him.
Portland Press Herald Staff Writer Matt Byrne contributed to this report.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less