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Hiker dies in fall trying to climb California's Mt. Whitney

Brian Melley/AP

CORRECTION REMOVES THE SECOND HIGHEST PEAK IN THE U.S. This Dec. 21, 2016 photo shows the eastern Sierra Nevada, with Mt. Whitney, the largest of three pinnacles at center, near Lone Pine, Calif. Loss of water from rocks during drought caused California's Sierra Nevada to rise nearly an inch in height from October 2011 to October 2015, according to a new NASA study made public Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017. The study also found that in the following two years of increased snow and rain, the rocks in the range regained about half as much water as was lost during the drought and the return of the weight caused the height of the mountains to fall about half an inch. (AP Photo/Brian Melley)

By: Associated Press

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INYO COUNTY, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say that altitude sickness and severe storm conditions likely caused a 50-year-old man to fall to his death while trying to climb Mt. Whitney in the eastern Sierra Nevada.

Inyo County Sheriff's office said in a statement Tuesday that searchers found Eric Goepfert's body Dec. 19.

They used an avalanche probe to locate his body under deep snow. Investigators believe Goepfert was experiencing headache and nausea.

High winds and single-digit temperatures also likely caused him to fall 30 feet to his death.

The sheriff's office said Goepfert served in the U.S. Army and was an active Army reservist.

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Hiker dies in fall trying to climb California's Mt. Whitney

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