California climber Brian Seibert had reached the summit of Mount Morgan on Sunday, October 4. However, on the way down, tragedy unfolded as he fell from the 13,000-foot mountain. Now, it’s been revealed he sent a final text just hours before the horrifying incident struck.
Brian Seibert, 53, suffered an “unsurvivable fall” from 13,000-foot mountain Mount Morgan in Inyo National Forest and died. On Sunday, October 4, he reached the summit and began his descent when tragedy struck.
According to a statement from the Mono County Sheriff Search & Rescue Team, Brian sent a message saying he was on his way down around 7 p.m. However, he never returned as expected.
It was later determined that the 53-year-old suffered a fatal fall from a cliff ledge near the base of Grand Central Couloir.
When he failed to return by around 11:30 p.m., authorities were alerted. The Mono County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team launched a search the following day.
Rescuers worked to try to understand what happened. They used photographs to match the mountain’s terrain, extensive cellphone forensics, and a search dog to examine Seibert’s vehicle and determine where he might be.
The search continued in challenging conditions, with a Cal Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter deployed to transport rescuers to around 12,500 feet on October 5.
Hiker sent final text before plunging to his death from 13,000-foot California peak
After more than 72 hours, Seibert’s body was recovered from the mountain following the fatal fall.
“Just after 1400 hours, Schooner 06 identified an anomaly from the air near the bottom of Grand Central Couloir, which is a prominent east-facing gully off of the summit proper,” the statement from the Mono County Sheriff Search & Rescue Team read.
“Team 3, which had been following a single set of tracks descending the couloir made their way to the anomaly, which was Brian Seibert. It was determined that Brian sustained an unsurvivable fall from a cliff band at the base of the couloir.”
“Due to the extremely challenging nature of the terrain between Brian’s location and the nearest landing zone, it was determined that there would be insufficient time to safely complete the recovery that [Tuesday],” the rescue group statement added.
Brian was recovered early Wednesday morning by a Yosemite National Park’s short-haul-capable helicopter.
In the statement, the rescue team sent “its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and Eastside community for the loss of Brian Seibert.”
Rest in peace.
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