The hiker who died climbing El Capitan Mountain in Lakeside on Monday was a high school teacher making the most of summer break by enjoying nature in the place where he felt most at home, according to his mourning wife.
Adam Shmidt, 34, left for his hike at 9 a.m. and did not return home as expected that afternoon, prompting his family to alert the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, which launched a days-long search-turned-recovery effort for the missing hiker. His body was recovered by an SDSO crew Wednesday morning.
Becca Fink, Shmidt's wife of 13 years, said his morning hike was part of his effort to live every day with intention.
"On July 31 he went to the place where he felt most connected to himself and nature," Fink said, in part, in a written statement. "Adam died doing his favorite thing in his favorite place. He lived life to the fullest knowing it could be taken at any time." Read her full statement below.
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A cause of death has not been confirmed, but SDSO Sheriff Lt. Chris Katra said his body had trauma "consistent with a fall but we can't make that determination at this point."
His body was found with climbing gear and in an area popular with rock climbers, Katra added, and with temperatures up to 90 degrees that day, heat may have also been a contributing factor.
His accident doesn't mean we should stop. His accident fuels me to continue adventuring more. I'll keep showing him the natural beauty of this world through my eyes, and continue his journey of living fully through me. While not present, Adam is not gone.
Becca Fink, wife of climber Adam Shmidt
According to the family, he was very advanced and had done this personal route over 10 times," Katra said. "His goal was to summit the peak through the rock climbing."
Fink said she hopes to continue her husband's effort to get the most out of life. Read her statement in full:
"Adam Shmidt seized every opportunity that life gave him. If he had an interest in something, it would fully consume him. As summer began, Adam set an intention to meaningfully fill each day before starting a new high school English instructor position in the fall. He continued his two+ year streak of New York Times crosswords, read the 12 books on the curriculum for his upcoming school year, accomplished a lifetime goal of climbing the diamond and summiting Longs Peak, conquered the Vampire at Tahquitz, made the summit of Grand Teton, explored big wall climbing in Zion, climbed in Yosemite, gave me more love and affection than another person has known, and gave all of himself to his family and friends, especially his Mom. And on July 31 he went to the place where he felt most connected to himself and nature. Adam died doing his favorite thing in his favorite place. He lived life to the fullest knowing it could be taken at any time. His accident doesn't mean we should stop. His accident fuels me to continue adventuring more. I'll keep showing him the natural beauty of this world through my eyes, and continue his journey of living fully through me. While not present, Adam is not gone."
The search-and-rescue team struggled to locate Shmidt. On Monday, a team of anywhere from 50 to 150 volunteers searched the mountain but the effort was eventually called off.
"We searched for him all throughout the night with the helicopter and our search and rescue -- the mountain looked like a stadium with flashlights all over it," Katra said.
His body was located when the search resumed Tuesday morning, but it presented a new set of challenges for rescue crews, Katra said. "Due to the terrain and where it's at, you can't just hike him out of there."
Strong wind gusts also prevented the team from recovering his body with a helicopter. Weather improved on Wednesday and the sheriff's department team was able to hoist Shmidt's body off the mountain. The body was turned over to the Medical Examiner's office, the sheriff's department said.
Shmidt's cause of death has been revealed as multiple blunt force injuries, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department told NBC 7 on Sunday.
The El Capitan Preserve is home to popular but challenging hiking trails and was one of several park areas closed by the San Diego County Department of Parks and Recreation for the month of August.
Katra said the area of the park Shmidt was exploring was not part of that closure.
"There's two ways to hike it, one from Wildcat Canyon side and one from the El Monte side," the lieutenant said. "The El Monte side has regular trails that your average person can hike but there's also a portion of it that, if you're an advanced climber, you can do some rock climbing and roping and rappelling and things of that nature."
Katra recommended anyone exploring the trail give detailed descriptions of their plans to loved ones, including where they are going and when they expect to be back. "It's best to have a partner."
In May, a hiker who complained about heat exhaustion symptoms died on the El Capitan Trail.
