Hiking expedition ends tragically

Santa Barbara Daily Sound June 9, 2008

Eric Lindberg

A hiking trip ended in tragedy on Sunday after authorities found the body of a Goleta man in a remote area of the Los Padres National Forest.

Two friends, and possibly a third, were hiking in the Hurricane Deck area of the forest on Saturday afternoon when one hiker, 23-year-old Jackson Still, began experiencing symptoms consistent with heatstroke or dehydration, sheriff’s officials said. At least one other hiker left his friend in search of help, walking out of the rugged wilderness.
After arriving at a campground, the hiker contacted authorities, who sent out sheriff’s deputies and a search and rescue team, along with a search helicopter, sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Alex Tipolt said.

Rescuers combed the area for the missing man into the evening before spotting him by helicopter on a high ridgeline after the search picked up again early Sunday morning.
When they reached the scene, authorities discovered he had died, Sgt. Tipolt said. No information on the official cause of death was immediately available.