The body of an unidentified male was found Thursday morning at the summit of Mount Katahdin, Baxter State Park announced Friday.
It was the second death of a hiker on Maine’s highest mountain in two days, prompting park officials to remind hikers that the mountain “is a formidable place, especially as winter approaches.”
It was not immediately clear what caused the person’s death and no further information was provided about the hiker.
The body was found by other hikers at about 10 a.m. Thursday and reported through a 911 call at about 11:30 a.m., park officials said.
Park rangers began a recovery mission with help from the Maine Army National Guard. A UH60L Blackhawk landed atop the mountain at 3:44 p.m., and helped transport the body to Caribou Pit on the park’s southern border at 4 p.m.
A local funeral home took the body from there to the state Medical Examiner’s Office in Augusta. Rangers are still investigating and park officials said they would release more details as they become available.
A 75-year-old Massachusetts man died Wednesday after he got lost hiking near the top of Mount Katahdin and fell while spending the night on the mountain awaiting rescuers.
Donald MacGillis, a longtime Boston Globe editor from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, was in critical condition when airlifted from Mount Katahdin Wednesday. He later died from his injuries, according to his son.
“On behalf of Baxter State Park staff, I extend the sincerest condolences to families of these two individuals,” Park Director Eben Sypitkowski said in the news release. “The mountain is a formidable place, especially as winter approaches. I ask everyone visiting us this fall and winter to please be safe, set an early turn-around time and stick to it, and always carry sufficient food, water, and clothing. We have an outstanding professional staff here at Baxter State Park. Please feel free to reach out to us to help you plan as safe a visit as possible.”
Fatal accidents in Baxter State Park are relatively rare, despite the potential danger when climbing Katahdin in difficult conditions.
Eight people have died in Baxter State Park in the last 10 years, including the two this week, Sypitkowski said. Four of those deaths came in 2017, the only other year in the past decade in which there were multiple deaths.
Traffic has remained steady at the park during the pandemic, Sypitkowski said. Even though parking limits have been set at about 50 percent of the normal level, visitation is down just 7 percent over last year. Overnight camping visits, however, are up 10 percent, Sypitkowski said, and many are first-time campers and hikers.
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