Yukon hiker killed after fall into canyon
A Yukon man is dead after falling into a canyon while hiking in the Carcross area last week.
Dan Kemble, 64, of Carcross had been out hiking with two friends on Thursday in the Pooly Canyon area, according to a news release from the territory's chief coroner.
The coroner says the three hikers were in an area described as "technically challenging," when they split up to do some individual exploring of the area.
Kemble had told the others he was interested in exploring some historic buildings in the Pooly Creek Canyon area.
The two other hikers met up about 45 minutes later and went to rejoin Kemble. The coroner says that's when they discovered he had fallen into a steep-walled canyon.
Police in Carcross were notified that night, and Kemble's body was recovered early Friday morning with help from RCMP's search and rescue team.
Kemble was well-known in Carcross as an avid birder and mountaineer. He also did a lot of volunteer work with the local cross-country ski club and the local fire department.
Carcross Tagish First Nation elder Colleen James, whose cousin was married to Kemble, called him "just a man who contributed a lot to the community."
"We're really gonna miss him," she said.
