MOUNT SHASTA — A 49-year-old Campbell man died last week while climbing Mount Shasta, authorities say.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as David Lopez.
Shortly before 7 p.m. on May 17, the sheriff’s office received an emergency alert at 9,500 feet along Avalanche Gulch Road, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Lopez had collapsed and become unresponsive as he approached Lake Helen with his climbing partner.
The sheriff’s office in turn notified the US Forest Service and the California Highway Patrol.
Nightfall prevented the CHP from performing an aerial rescue, but USFS climber rangers were able to reach Lopez, according to the sheriff’s office.
After Lopez collapsed, his climbing partner performed CPR on him until rangers arrived and took over the rescue efforts, the sheriff’s office said. Rangers were unable to revive Lopez, who was then transported to Bunny Flats.
A sheriff’s deputy met the rangers at the trailhead, where he pronounced Lopez dead shortly before 11 p.m. and notified his next of kin, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office said the cause and manner of Lopez’s death are pending an autopsy.
Posted on Facebook, the sheriff’s office press release drew heartfelt comments from people who knew Lopez. Monterey County Supervisor Wendy Root Askew was among them.
“Davy lived his life in a way that brought so much light and joy to everyone he met,” Askew wrote. “It’s been years since we had an adventure together but this news leaves me heartbroken.”
Other deaths have occurred along the route, including Jillian Webster, 32, of Redmond, Oregon, in June 2022. Webster, a guide, was accompanying a young couple up the mountain when one of them lost their footing and all three fell 1,500 feet. 2,500 feet.
Although not considered overly technical, the Avalanche Gulch route climbs 7,000 feet in elevation and exposes the climber to steep snow and ice, rockfall and extreme weather, according to the Mt. Shasta Avalanche Center. Most people complete the climb in two days.
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