Body of park ranger recovered from Mount Rainier

Favorable weather conditions Thursday allowed authorities to recover the body of a Mount Rainier National Park ranger who fell to his death on June 21.

Rescuers used a helicopter to retrieve the body of Nick Hall, the park ranger who fell 2,500 feet during a rescue operation on Mount Rainier.

Thursday's recovery went smoothly, spokeswoman Patti Wold told The Associated Press. Clear weather conditions Thursday were a boon, after strong winds and adverse winter conditions prevented recovery efforts in the days following the accident.

Seattle's NBC News affiliate KING 5 reported that the Sunrise area of Mount Rainier was closed for the day for the recovery.

The body of Hall, 34, will be taken to the Pierce County medical examiner's office in Tacoma, about 35 miles south of Seattle, AP reported.

Hall was part of a team attempting to rescue climbers who fell at the 11,000-foot level of Mount Rainier. The four-year veteran of Mount Rainier National Park's climbing ranger program was assisting with the helicopter rescue when he fell to his death.

Hall is not the first fatality on the mountain this year. In January, ranger Margaret Anderson was killed by a gunman in the park after trying to stop the gunman's vehicle.

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