The Riverside County coroner has identified a La Quinta man who died while hiking on the Boo Hoff Trail the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Michael Pavelec, 63, died at around 10:55 a.m., according to a news release from the coroner division of the county sheriff’s department. That was a little over an hour after a 911 call from a mountain biker reporting a downed hiker on the trail.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said deputies first received a call at 9:45 a.m. Due to the remote location of the hiker, the department deployed a helicopter. Multiple Cal Fire engines were also dispatched.
By the time rescue personnel reached Pavelec, he was already unresponsive. Despite lifesaving measures, Pavelec was pronounced dead at the scene.
The sheriff’s department said the cause of death was not clear, but it did not suspect foul play.
The Boo Hoff Trail is a roughly 13-mile loop through the mountainous area south of La Quinta, according to descriptions online. The full trail takes about seven hours to complete and involves over 2,300 feet of elevation gain.
Sam Morgen covers the city of Palm Springs for The Desert Sun. Reach him at smorgen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coroner identifies La Quinta man who died hiking on Boo Hoff Trail
Reporting by Sam Morgen, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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