Body found on Olympic National Park coastline

Weather conditions have made it difficult to recover the body, rangers said.

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — A body found on a remote section of the Olympic National Park coastline has not been identified.

Visitors to the park found the body late Tuesday, according to park spokeswoman Barb Maynes.

Rangers arrived in the area Wednesday morning but have been unable to recover the body because of weather and ocean conditions, Maynes said in a new release.

With better weather predicted this morning, rangers will attempt to reach the body and take it to the Clallam County coroner for identification.

The area’s remote location and extremely rugged terrain necessitate transport by either helicopter or boat, Maynes said in the release.

Clifford Dopps, 74, went missing and was presumed drowned after a boat capsized in August.

His boat was later found on a remote and rocky section of shoreline in Olympic National Park.

A life jacket and other items were found nearby, but Dopps’ body was not found during an intensive two-day search.

Dopps was in a 22-foot aluminum boat when it capsized near Hand Rock about 10 miles north of La Push and about a mile-and-a-half from shore.

The other person on the boat was rescued from the water and a dog named Rio swam ashore.

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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.

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