Minn. Hiker Found Dead at Bottom of Yosemite Cliff

A hiker who went missing in Yosemite National Park has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff, authorities said.

Rangers found the body of 73-year-old Kenneth Stensby of Edina, Minn., near the base of the park's Vernal Fall, where he had apparently fallen after stopping to take a photo, park officials said. Search crews had found his backpack on Sunday at the top of the waterfall.

His camera was not in the pack.

His body was removed from the area early Tuesday afternoon, a day after it was spotted from the air, according to park officials. Stensby, 73, from Edina, Minn., had been in the park for several days and was staying at the Ahwahnee Hotel, park officials said. He left a note with the concierge each morning outlining his daily plan.

On Sunday, his note stated that he was planning to hike to the top of Vernal Fall on the Mist Trail and return to the hotel around noon, according to park officials. Hotel staff attempted to contact Stensby around 5:00 p.m. that evening, and discovered he had not returned.

They then contacted the National Park Service. The search effort included dogs and a California Highway Patrol helicopter.

Three young tourists were swept over Vernal Fall in 2011 after one of them slipped on a rock. Her two friends fell while trying to save her.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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