A B.C.-born hiker is dead after being trapped atop a California mountain for days suffering from altitude sickness.
Thomas Bennett, 26, climbed Mount Shasta, located about 100 kilometres south of the Oregon border, on Saturday during a hiking and camping trip with companion Mark Thomas.
Authorities say the pair had reached the peak and were headed back down when high winds forced them to spend the night.
Thomas called 911 on Sunday to report they were unable to descend because of weather. He told authorities Bennett was disoriented and appeared to have altitude sickness -- an illness caused by decreased air pressure systems in altitudes higher than 2,400 metres.
Mount Shasta is the fifth highest peak in the state, at 4,322 metres.
He then left Bennett in a snow cave with water, candy bars and granola, officials said, and climbed down the mountain to get help.
Helicopters teams made several attempts to rescue Bennett, but storms prevented them from reaching his location.
On Thursday, just past 10 a.m., Mountain Rangers finally reached the cave Bennett was left in, which had been marked with a black avalanche marker.
After digging into the cave, rangers discovered Bennett had died.
The 26-year-old attended the University of British Columbia before moving to Oakland, Calif.
His body has been airlifted off the mountain, and his family has been informed of his death.
An autopsy is scheduled this week to determine the cause of death.
With files from The Canadian Press
