A hiker was found dead on Texas’ Guadalupe Peak

By Theresa Waldrop, CNN

A hiker was found dead on New Year’s Eve in Texas’ Guadalupe Mountains National Park, according to the park service.

Other hikers discovered the unresponsive person on the Guadalupe Peak Trail and notified park staff after trying to revive them, the park said in a Friday release.

There were wind gusts of more than 50 miles per hour and wind chills were “well below freezing” that day, according to the release.

“At nearly 9,000 feet above sea level, Guadalupe Peak is a mountain environment with associated risks not found elsewhere in Texas,” the park said, noting that the hike is a “very strenuous, 8.4 mile round trip hike with a 3,000 foot elevation gain” to the highest point in the state.

The park did not release the person’s identity or other details related to the death.

“Guadalupe Mountains National Park staff are saddened by this loss, and our entire park community extends sincere condolences to the hiker’s family and friends,” Superintendent Eric Leonard said in the release.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park, one of the least-visited of US national parks, has the four highest peaks in Texas.

Hikers should stick together when hiking in a group, the park said, and postpone hikes when the weather is bad.

“You should prioritize your own safety above all else in windy conditions,” the release said.

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