Body recovered near the Lykken Trail

[Cy Kaicener]

A decomposed body has been recovered near the Lykken Trail
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/201 ... 895685001/

https://www.facebook.com/Palm-Springs-M ... 404612601/

[Ed]

I know it keeps happening, but it is still shocking when people die on trails like the North Lykken Trail. Wonder how long he was dead. And why was he not reported missing? Must have been a bit off the trail, since it took dogs to discover the body.

I don't like the description of the beginner Joshua Tree rock climber's death as possibly being due to 'gear failure'. It almost certainly was due to a human failure to use equipment properly, which is consistent with 'not properly secured.' Regardless of whether he was climbing or rappelling, he should have had an upper belay, and the fall should have caused no more than a little skin abrasion, if even that.

[zippetydude]

I'm with you Ed. I have probably posted this before, but there was a report of a climber who fell above the falls near the Vivian Creek trailhead. The post quoted someone as saying, "It was just bad luck. He didn't do anything wrong, he did everything right." Well, he did at least one thing wrong since unfortunately he fell to his death. Maybe securing equipment, maybe a lot of things, but since we have a system to make sure that fatal falls don't happen, clearly something was left undone. I understand the desire to defend the victim, but identifying the cause might prevent the next fall.

z

[cynthia23]

Thanks for posting this, Cy. Sad news. Speculating here, but if the body was that decomposed, and yet no one had ever reported him missing (nor was a car in the downtown garage towed, etc), it seems likely it was one of the local homeless people who camp up there at times. As some may remember, this (homeless, mostly drug-addicted folks) is an ongoing issue on Skyline (and in many areas of Palm Springs). I think there was a similar finding of a dead body off the South Lykken several months ago. Doesn't make the death any less sad, but it likely wasn't a hiking mishap.

[Wildhorse]

A lonely death after a lonely life, I imagine. Many lonely people live in Palm Springs. Some, but not all, are feral.

I walked around Echo Park Lake yesterday at midday. Many people wrapped head to toe in blankets, or shrouds, slept on the ground in many places around the lake. All were motionless. Could have been corpses. I saw a dog sniffing one.