A hiker was killed in a fall in the Brooks Range over the weekend. Alaska State Troopers report that Douglas Mathews was part of a group hiking up Sukapak Mountain off the Dalton Highway, north of Coldfoot last Friday.
They say Mathews became separated from the group and was reported overdue before midnight Friday. Aerial searches from Trooper and Army aircraft were unable to locate Mathews on Saturday, but a BLM Ranger on the ground found Mathews dead, the apparent victim of a fall in a steep area.
Troopers, Fairbanks-based Wilderness Search and Rescue volunteers and BLM Rangers recovered Mathews' body from the mountainside Sunday. Family members have been notified.