Austrian Man Found Dead At Palo Duro Canyon Identified
A Austrian man found dead Monday evening at Palo Duro Canyon has been identified by Randall County Sheriff's as 47 year old Gerald Christoph Folser. The man was taking a hiking trip with a friend when the absolute worst happened.
"The 47-year-old man was hiking with a friend and left the trail to take a photo about 1 p.m., Alexander said. The man got too close to the canyon’s edge, fell into a deep ravine near the CCC trail and suffered traumatic injuries, Alexander said.
Cory Evans, superintendent of Palo Duro Canyon State Park, said the man and his friend started on the trail at about 1 p.m. and then became separated when Folser left the trail. Folser’s friend notified park officials Folser was missing at about 3 p.m., said Evans, and at that time, they completed a quick, but unsuccessful search down the area.
Canyon Fire and Rescue, along with Department of Public Safety troopers and Lake Tanglewood and Randall County firefighters were notified at about 4 p.m., Evans said.
The DPS helicopter found the man about 7:30 p.m., and saw there was no movement at that point, Alexander said. Randall County firefighters then rappelled down the canyon to recover him, Alexander said, and determined he was dead at 7:58 p.m.
Evans said Folser was located about halfway down the CCC Trail."
It's very tragic, and while I feel bad for the man and his friends and family, I also am reminded of how you can not get to comfortable while at Palo Duro Canyon. It can be a very fun and dangerous place. I personally have a friend that fell off a cliff there. While he is alive, he took a major spill and suffered many broken bones and was in critical condition.
When you're at the canyons, you are at the mercy of them.
Make sure you have a good footing while hiking. Where proper attire for hiking. Do not under any circumstances let your children run off on their own. If it starts raining, you need to leave immediately.
Palo Duro Canyon can be a fun place, but it has taken more lives than I will ever care to count.
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