YOSEMITE WEST, Calif. — A hiker was found dead in Yosemite National Park after being swept away by a cold and fast-flowing creek as California's epic winter snowpack melts, according to the family.
The family said they were notified on Sunday that Hayden's body had been found, according to a Facebook post shared by his sister, Taylor McKinnie.
"Due to the complexity of his location, it took another 24hrs to formally recover him," the hiker's sister wrote on Tuesday. "While a few further steps remain in the investigation, Hayden's cause of passing is presumed to be an accidental drowning."
Hayden T. Klemenok vanished while backpacking with a group at Upper Chilnualna Falls on Sunday, the National Park Service said in a statement.
“At approximately 2 p.m., he entered Chilnualna Creek near the trail junction, and his whereabouts are currently unknown,” the service said.
The section of the creek is about a dozen miles (20 kilometers) south of Yosemite Valley and features a series of waterfalls and cascades that plunge hundreds of feet.
Klemenok’s parents told The San Francisco Chronicle that his friends said the day of the accident was hot and the 24-year-old from Petaluma, California, had gotten down on all fours to wet his face, but his hands slipped and he went into the water.
“My beautiful son, you were a light in so many lives. I will miss you and love you forever,” Michelle Klemenok wrote in a Facebook post.
California authorities have been warning the public that rivers, streams and lakes are extremely dangerous this year because of the massive runoff. The water is so cold that a person can lose muscle control within minutes, officials say.
Despite the warnings, there have been repeated tragedies. Nearly two dozen people have drowned or gone missing in California rivers since mid-April, according to the Bay Area News Group, which has been tracking reports from local authorities.
