Backpacking teacher dies just two miles into long solo hike after plunging 100ft

A popular teacher died after plunging 100ft to his death while on 141-mile solo backpack trek.

Harris Levinson was just two miles into his hiking adventure when he fell at Whitney Portal in California as he made his way to Yosemite National Park. The 61-year-old, who taught American studies and theatre at Vashon High School, near Seattle, didn't survive the huge fall.

The experienced hiker's body was recovered by Inyo County Search and Rescue on Sunday. He was hoping to complete the mega mission, but died under an hour in after officials said it appeared the beloved teacher attempted to hike the “climber’s route” up Mount Whitney.

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A huge search was launched involving the National Park, Inyo National Forest, and the California Highway Patrol Office of Air Operations, with helicopters deployed after the alarm was raised by friends who were concerned he had not collected a food package. His car was located at the park.

His friend Carrie McCarthy paid tribute to him on Facebook. She wrote that he had been “planning this trip for months and was thrilled and excited to begin.” She added: “Folks who connected with him in his final days report that he was joyful, eager, friendly and full of appreciation for his life and the opportunity to go on this adventure. In other words, he was Harris.”

Inyo County Sheriff’s Office released a statement detailing the events. It read: "On Wednesday, July 9, the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park concerning a missing hiker, Harris Levinson, who planned to hike the John Muir Trail from Whitney Portal to Yosemite National Park.

"Mr Levinson planned to begin his hike on June 23 after putting in a food resupply cache at Onion Valley that he planned to pick up on June 29. On July 8, his food cache had not been picked up, prompting a friend of Mr. Levinson to contact Sequoia-Kings NP.

"Mr Levinson’s car was located at Whitney Portal and Inyo County, in coordination with Sequoia-Kings NP, initiated a search using helicopters from the California Highway Patrol Office of Air Operations and Inyo National Forest, and ground searchers from Inyo County Search and Rescue.

"Aided by data from Mr. Levinson’s satellite messaging device, ground searchers located the body of Mr. Levinson at approximately 9,400 feet in the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek, apparently the victim of a fatal fall.

"The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office and Inyo County Search and Rescue extend our sincere condolences to Mr. Levinson’s family and friends, and we thank Sequoia-Kings National Park, Inyo National Forest, and the California Highway Patrol Office of Air Operations for their cooperation and assistance in this mission."

The Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber newspaper, which reported his death, said Mr Levinson was “widely known and beloved on Vashon for his remarkable work as a teacher, youth mentor and theater-maker.” His students have been paying their own tributes across social media.