An experienced backpacker and former state park ranger was found dead in Yosemite National Park. The National Park Service’s announcement came Saturday morning after the park put out a call for public help and input on the case earlier in the week.
Olsen was declared missing on Thursday after a park ranger found a note on his car stating he was to return on August 27, two weeks prior.
Kirk Thomas Olsen, 61, hailed from San Luis Obispo, California, and worked from 2017 to 2020 as a seasonal senior park aide, primarily at Hearst San Simeon State Park, according to The New York Times.
Olsen’s niece, Holly Leeson, told the San Francisco Chronicle that authorities are still investigating how Olsen died but said he may have lost track of the trail.
“Take as many precautions you can because even with all the experience in the world, it doesn’t guarantee your safety sometimes,” Leeson told the Chronicle.
Park rangers said there is no further information available at this time.
Another park death was reported in July when Grace Rohloff, 20, reportedly lost her footing in wet conditions on the Half Dome cables. Rohloff slid down the mountain and suffered a traumatic head injury.
According to NPS mortality data from 2014 to 2019, Yosemite sees more deaths from hiking than any other recreational activity.
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