Body Of Missing Hiker Found By Searchers

A three-day search for a missing hiker concluded Tuesday when aerial searchers found his body on Eagle Peak in the southwest corner of the park. Jeff Graves, 47, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was reported missing on Saturday evening when he failed to return from a day hike. Jeff is the son of Ruth Graves, now in her third summer as a volunteer interpreter at Mount Rainier. At its peak on Tuesday, the search involved 60 people, including 20 ground teams and a helicopter. Dog teams assisted with the search on Sunday and Monday. The helicopter was grounded by poor visibility until late Monday morning. Based on interviews from searchers, it appears that Graves left the trail on his descent from Eagle Peak in a steep, heavily forested area, then lost his footing and fell about 200 feet. He came to rest at the base of a 75 degree slope, hidden by the trees, about an eighth of a mile from the trail at an elevation of 4,000 feet. The weather at the time was cool, wet, and foggy. The Eagle Peak trail is a strenuous day hike that climbs 3,000 feet over three-and-a-half miles. The area around the trail is rugged, heavily forested, and intersected by numerous cliffs and ravines. Media interest in the search has been high, both locally and in Minneapolis.