Missing California couple found dead on ‘experts only’ climbing route

Two climbers who were reported missing on an “experts only” climbing route on Mt. Whitney in California on Tuesday, May 7, have been found dead.

The climbers were identified by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) on Thursday, May 9, as Andrew Niziol of South Lake Tahoe and Patty Bolan. The Sacramento Bee reported.

Niziol, 28, and Bolan, 29, were climbing an “experts only” mountaineering route on the mountain in Sequoia National Park with their friend Ethan Michael Cannaert when the trio became separated. The Los Angeles Times reported. The group was descending after reaching the 14,500-foot peak when they became separated.

Cannaert wrote in a post to a Mt. Whitney Facebook group that he expected to meet the couple at a spot called “The Notch,” a flat spot that climbers often use as a rest stop, according to the newspaper.

“I waited there for over an hour and was forced to go down the slide to escape the cold wind, but never saw her,” Cannaert wrote in the post The Los Angeles Times.

On Thursday, May 9, the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office (ICS0) confirmed in a post on Facebook that the climbers were found dead, although Niziol and Bolan were not named in the post.

Cannaert called ICSO around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday to report his friends missing, the sheriff’s office said.

“Inyo County Search & Rescue initiated a search operation, with a helicopter and foot crews searching the area,” the department added. “Tragically, both hikers were later found dead.” The bodies were found in Tulare County and identified by the Tulare County Coroner.

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In his last post on Instagram on May 5, Niziol expressed his gratitude for his life of climbing and adventure.

“If I could go back in time and show the 12 year old what my life is like now it would make me so proud 🥹,” he wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of himself posing with Bolan, whom he referred to as “the “funniest person” he has ever met.

“This is the kind of life I dreamed of for 15 years. “I’ve finally surrounded myself with people who I can share these types of experiences with and I couldn’t be more grateful,” he continued.