Remains found on Mount Rainier could be missing Tacoma hiker

MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, Wash. (AP) — A park official says remains found on Mount Rainier may be that of a 64-year-old Tacoma man who went missing while hiking last year.

The News Tribune reports that visitors exploring the Frying Pan Glacier discovered the remains Sunday.

Mount Rainier National Park spokesman Kevin Bacher said Tuesday that the location and other factors are consistent with a hiker who went missing on the Wonderland Trail on July 12, 2014. His family has been notified.

Edwin Birch was last seen by his son as they hiked the popular trail which loops Mount Rainier. They were doing a 19-mile day hike between Box Canyon and White River, starting from opposite ends.

The son saw his father at the midpoint, but when the son got back to their vehicle and went to pick up his father, he couldn't find him.

Park officials spent a week searching for Birch.