Body of Ellensburg climber recovered

Published 8:24 pm Thursday, July 5, 2012

WENATCHEE — The body of an Ellensburg climber who was killed over the weekend in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness was recovered by a helicopter.

Sgt. Kent Sisson with the Chelan County sheriff’s office says search and rescue coordinators worked with a Snohomish County helicopter crew Wednesday to recover the body of Matthew Trinkle from Dragontail Peak.

Sisson told KPQthat the 19-year-old was climbing alone, apparently without ropes, and may not have had the experience for a free climb of such difficulty.

Bad weather prevented a helicopter from accessing the remote area Monday and Tuesday.