'It's easy to die there': Icy Mt. Baldy claims three lives as hikers warn of extreme danger

"Officials have identified one of the three hikers found dead on Mt. Baldy this week as 19-year-old Marcus Muench Casanova of Seal Beach. Casanova fell 500 feet on Monday while hiking Devil's Backbone, a sharp ridge with steep drops on either side, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Two other hikers were then spotted on the mountainside by a helicopter sent to rescue Casanova, but crews were unable to conduct the operation due to high winds, officials said."

"An airship later lowered a medic, who found that all three men had died. A sheriff's air rescue team recovered the bodies at about 2 p.m. the following afternoon. The identities of the two other men have not been released. Investigators said they were not hiking with Casanova, and it's unclear when they died, how long they were on the mountain or whether they were reported missing prior to the discovery."

"The hikers' deaths have reverberated through the Southern California hiking community, where outdoors enthusiasts found themselves explaining, in online forums and to reporters in phone interviews, the dual nature of conditions on Mt. Baldy as observers speculate about what could have happened to each of the hikers. Officials have not provided any details on what they think caused Casanova to fall or how the other two bodies ended up in the area."

"In general terms, the climb to the top of Mt. Baldy is considered an entry-level mountaineering experience during warmer weather but dangerous during the winter, said Kyle Fordham, a 36-year-old hiker from Lakewood who has summited the highest peak in Southern California's San Gabriel Mountains at least 10 times - twice in snowy conditions. The mountain's close proximity to Los Angeles, coupled with social media content promoting the hike, encourages inexperienced adventurers, Fordham said, with "zero regard to the actual danger they're putting themselves in.""

A 19-year-old hiker, Marcus Muench Casanova of Seal Beach, fell 500 feet on Devil's Backbone and was later found dead. Two other hikers were spotted nearby but rescue crews could not reach them initially due to high winds; a medic later found all three men deceased and bodies were recovered the following afternoon. The identities of the other two have not been released; investigators say they were not hiking with Casanova and the timeline and circumstances of their deaths remain unclear. Hikers note Mt. Baldy's variable conditions and warn that social media may encourage inexperienced adventurers to underestimate risks.

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