Body of missing hiker recovered

A Custer County search party has recovered the body of a missing hiker. The 55-year-old man was reported missing by his hiking partner Saturday.

The friend told the Custer County Sheriff’s Office the man was dehydrated and fatigued when the two separated.They were hiking in the Sawtooth Mountains northeast of Stanley.The man was last seen on a trail to Saddleback Lakes.

Two Red Fish Lake Lodge employees joined two Custer County deputies, a Forest Service law enforcement officer and a small group of searchers at the inlet trailhead Saturday, but had to discontinue their search effort at dark.

The search was joined by several other agencies Sunday morning, including Sawtooth Search and Rescue, Custer County Search and Rescue, Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue, Blaine County Search and Rescue, the U.S. Forest Service and the Custer County Sheriff’s Office.

The missing hiker was found dead at 5:30 p.m. Sunday by the search party. His name was not released pending notification of relatives.