Colorado Springs Hiker Apparently Fell To Death In Black Canyon
GUNNISON, Colo. (AP) - Investigators are trying to determine how a 24-year-old backpacker apparently fell to his death while hiking in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
The body of Ryan Wood Moss of Colorado Springs, who was reported overdue Saturday, was recovered Tuesday from the base of a cliff. It's the first death in the canyon since 2013.
The National Park Service said Moss was originally from North Carolina but the coroner says had family in Virginia.
Moss is believed to have been hiking the Warner Route, the longest of the extremely steep trails that lead from the canyon's rim to the Gunnison River, after a night of camping.
Supervisory park ranger Brant Porter says the routes into the canyon follow unmaintained and largely unmarked gullies but can be hiked without special equipment.
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