A 46-year-old Sammamish man hiking near Guye Peak apparently fell to his death Monday, according to a statement released this morning by the King County Sheriff's office.

The man’s identity has not yet been released by the King County medical examiner.

A statement from the sheriff’s office said the man was experienced and hiking alone and had parked his car at Alpental’s Snow Lake Trailhead. When he didn’t return his wife called the sheriff at 9:45 p.m. on Monday.

His wife told police the man had planned to go scrambling at Guye Peak. Scrambling is a non-technical method of climbing over rock and other debris.

A search and rescue operation was launched Tuesday morning and he was spotted by helicopter at about 7:30 a.m. according to the statement. His body was in a gully on the east side of Guye Peak. A recovery team reach him at 8 a.m.

Guye Peak is located in the Cascade Mountains near Snoqualmie Pass.

We got an advance copy of the October issue of Backpacker magazine this week and found it packed with tidbits about Washington.

Not surprisingly, since this is its “Survival Issue,” the magazine takes a couple of looks at Mount Rainier. The trek to Camp Muir is listed No. 4 on the list of “America’s 10 Most Dangerous Hikes.”

And the magazine dubs Mount Rainier “America’s Most Dangerous Mountain.”

This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise if you are a regular reader of The News Tribune. In fact, the magazine sites The News Tribune as a source for its Rainier coverage.

The magazine lists paddling around San Juan Island and climbing Mount Adams via the Mazama Glacier route among its “Ten Epic Hikes.”

Backpacker doesn’t mention Longbranch mountaineer Dan Mazur by name, but does give him a tip of the cap. Aussie climber Lincoln Hall is listed as one of the 16 Ultimate Survivors for surviving overnight on Mount Everest in 2006. It was Mazur who rescued him.

The October issue of Backpacker’s Magazine hits newsstands Sept. 9.