OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — A 24-year-old Bellingham man has died after his kayak capsized on the upper Elwha River.
The man was identified Monday afternoon as Ben Manfredi, park spokeswoman Barb Maynes said.
A seven-person team from Olympic Mountain Rescue and eight park staff were recovering Manfredi’s body by hiking into and out of a steep canyon Monday afternoon, said Larry Nickey, Olympic National Park’s fire and emergency operations coordinator.
Sunday’s kayaking incident happened in an area known as Goblin’s Gate, where the Elwha River shoots down a rock passage into Rica Canyon.
Maynes said the stretch of river is a challenging whitewater area, but noted that Manfredi was an experienced kayaker and avid “extreme” sports participant.
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The rest of the story appears in the Tuesday Peninsula Daily News.
