Hiker with a ‘beautiful soul’ found dead at bottom of peak in Olympic National Park
A 62-year-old woman with a “beautiful soul” was found dead below a mountain peak days after disappearing in Washington, officials said.
Lisa Markli of Port Angeles set out to hike Bailey Range Traverse alone, “a remote, off-trail route” in the Olympic National Park, park officials said in a news release.
But Markli never returned from her hike and was reported missing on July 20, officials said.
Rescuers began searching the area for the woman by helicopter and by foot, trying to find the missing woman by following her “intended route.”
Markli’s body was then spotted on July 22 below Stephen Peak by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and recovered, officials said.
She had recently retired as a registered nurse from the North Olympic Healthcare Network, the Olympic Peninsula News Group reported.
“She was an incredibly kind, caring, and skilled RN who was loved by her co-workers and patients alike,” the medical clinic’s CEO Dr. Michael Maxwell told the news outlet.
People also shared their memories and thoughts of Markli on Facebook.
“A beautiful soul who shared with me her love for adventure, and taught me so many many things about hiking and the outdoors,” Sarah Winfield wrote.
“I went to massage school with Lisa. She was one of those people that always stay in your heart,” Mindy Kesten Wiegel said in a post.
The Bailey Range Traverse is an off-trail route that requires multiple days of back-packing across about 60 miles of “rugged” and “rough” Olympic Mountains, according to the Washington Trails Association.
This story was originally published July 26, 2023 at 6:58 PM with the headline "Hiker with a ‘beautiful soul’ found dead at bottom of peak in Olympic National Park."
