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One Katahdin Hiker Likely Died After Falling Onto Boulder

One Katahdin Hiker Likely Died After Falling Onto Boulder

Photo: 560 WGAN Newsradio


It appears one of the hikers found dead on Katahdin last week tumbled to their death.

The Chief Medical Examiner says 28-year-old Esther Keiderling died from blunt force injuries, and Baxter State Park rangers say she slid downhill until she hit large boulders.

Keiderling was found about 1,000 feet from where her father, 58-year-old Tim Keiderling, was found dead a day earlier.

The hikers were visiting from New York and were dealing with snowy and windy conditions at the time of their disappearance, with wind chills in the teens.

The Medical Examiner has not determined the cause of Tim Keiderling’s death. He was located by a Maine Warden Service K9 search team on the Tableland near the summit of Katahdin a day earlier.

Park rangers say said the snow field was likely icy and almost impossible to navigate without proper gear.

Katahdin is Maine’s tallest mountain with a 5,267-foot peak. The hikers went missing on June 1.

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