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A team of rescuers were needed to recover the body of Richard Ehrhart. Credit: Curry County Sheriff’s Office

Hiker Dies After 300-Foot Fall from Oregon Trail

The hiker fell from a cliff by the Natural Bridges near Brookings, Oregon.

This week, authorities recovered the body of a 69-year-old California man who fell roughly 300 feet while hiking a coastal trail near Brookings, Oregon.

According to Monday's announcement by the Curry County Sheriff's Office, a search and rescue team responded to a call on April 21 from a witness who thought they saw a dead body on the rocks below the trail.

Authorities say the trail was near Natural Bridges, a viewing area described by AllTrails as "beautiful ocean arch rocks that tower over the foamy sea on the Oregon Coast." The area is also called "dangerous" as it has steep cliffs, which are extremely dangerous in off-limit areas. However, authorities did not say where exactly the hiker fell.

richard ehrhart

Richard Ehrhart was a 69-year-old man from San Jose, California. Credit: Richard Ehrhart/Facebook

While on the scene, team members repelled some 300 feet down to recover the body. The hiker was identified as Richard Ehrhart from San Jose, California.
Authorities say Ehrhatr was hiking with his wife, but they separated on the trail. She returned to their car as he continued hiking, so she was unaware that her husband had fallen.
Ehrhart, according to his online profiles, was a software developer and small business owner. He earned a bachelor's of science in chemistry from the University of California in Riverside.

On Facebook, Ehrhart shared pictures of nature, gourmet food, and vacations. His colleagues described him as a "wonderful" writer of "developer-centric blogs" and a dedicated engineer.