Overdue Table Mountain hiker found dead

Searchers trying to find an overdue Oregon hiker in the Table Mountain area Wednesday discovered his body late that afternoon, and it appeared he fell from the mountain’s summit.

Melvin Burtch, 31, left with two dogs Tuesday for a day hike in the area, north of Bonneville Dam, according to the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office.

On Wednesday morning, employees at the Bonneville Hot Springs Resort saw Burtch’s unoccupied vehicle parked in the trailhead parking lot near the resort, and both dogs were with the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies contacted the dogs’ owner, a friend of Burtch. She said Burtch last contacted her at 2 p.m. Tuesday when he sent a text message with a picture from what appeared to be the top of Table Mountain. No one heard from Burtch since then.

Heavy rain and east winds were complicating the search, reducing visibility and making it hard for searchers to communicate, the sheriff’s office said earlier Wednesday.

Volunteer searchers combed the trails around Table Mountain Wednesday. With the help of the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, AT&T and Apple, searchers were able to track signals from Burtch’s phone, and found his body within 50 yards of it, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said officials believe he fell from the summit of Table Mountain to its base, a vertical distance of about 700 feet.

Recovery efforts were set to begin Thursday morning.