The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office identified the person as David Lopez.
Just before 7 p.m. on May 17, the sheriff's office received an emergency alert at 9,200 feet along the Avalanche Gulch route, the sheriff's office said in a news release. Lopez had collapsed and was unresponsive as he approached Lake Helen together with his climbing partner.
The sheriff's office in turn notified the US Forest Service and the California Highway Patrol.
Because of the onset of darkness, an air rescue by the CHP was now not possible, but USFS climbers were capable of reach Lopez, in keeping with the sheriff's office.
After Lopez collapsed, his climbing partner performed CPR on him until rangers arrived and took over life-saving measures, the sheriff's office said. Rangers were unable to resuscitate Lopez, who was then taken to Bunny Flats.
A deputy met rangers on the trailhead, where he pronounced Lopez dead shortly before 11 p.m. and notified his next of kin, in keeping with the sheriff's office.
The sheriff's office said Lopez's cause and manner of death are pending an autopsy.
The sheriff's office's press release posted on Facebook drew warm comments from individuals who knew Lopez, including Monterey County Councilwoman Wendy Root Askew.
“Davy lived his life in a way that brought so much light and joy to everyone he met,” Askew wrote. “It has been years since we shared adventures together, but this news breaks my heart.”
Other deaths have occurred along the route, including that of Jillian Webster, 32, of Redmond, Oregon, in June 2022. Webster, a mountain guide, was accompanying a young couple up the mountain when considered one of them lost his footing and all three fell 450 to 760 meters.
Although the Avalanche Gulch route shouldn’t be considered overly technical, it climbs 7,000 feet and exposes climbers to steep snow and ice, rock falls and weather extremes, in keeping with the Mt. Shasta Avalanche CenterMost people complete the climb in two days.
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