Gary Idleburg, 66, of Olympia died after falling 800 to 1,000 feet on Sauk Mountain Saturday, the second hiker death there in three days.
SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. — A second hiker has died on Sauk Mountain in less than three days after an Olympia man fell an estimated 800 to 1,000 feet from a trail Saturday.
Gary Idleburg, 66, of Olympia, died Sept. 19 after hikers saw him fall from a switchback trail in the Concrete area of Skagit County.
The death came two days after 78-year-old Peter Kalapaca went missing while hiking Sauk Mountain on Sept. 17. Search crews found Kalapaca dead in steep terrain Friday evening.
The two incidents involved different hikers and occurred separately.
Hikers Report Fatal Fall
“On September 19, 2026, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Skagit 911 received multiple emergency calls from hikers reporting that they had witnessed a person fall from a switchback trail on Sauk Mountain in the Concrete area of Skagit County.”
Skagit County Sheriff’s Office
Witnesses estimated that Idleburg fell between 800 and 1,000 feet after he went over the edge.
Other hikers found Idleburg and directed responding fire personnel to his location.
Emergency personnel immediately began lifesaving efforts, but Idleburg died at the scene.
Difficult Terrain Complicates Recovery
The remote location and difficult terrain created challenges for the recovery operation.
Washington State Parks personnel and helicopter resources joined Skagit County Search and Rescue crews to recover Idleburg.
Crews completed the recovery operation around 8 p.m. Saturday.
The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office identified the incident as case 26-11498.
The sheriff’s office has not released additional information about what caused Idleburg to fall.
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