Paul Spray 11-12-06

Hiker who slipped on icy falls is found dead

ADN, November 14, 2006

CHIGNIK BAY -- A hiker missing over the weekend was confirmed dead this weekend, Alaska State Troopers said.

Paul Spray, a 45-year-old Chignik Bay man, was on a day trip with friend Jodi Mallonee, 38, near Seaquest cannery Saturday when they both decided to hike up a steep mountain, said trooper spokesman Greg Wilkinson.

"They got inspired," he said.

The pair became separated, and both slipped on shale and fell. Mallonee fell several hundred feet, she later told troopers.

Troopers estimated Spray first fell about 200 feet, then an additional 300 feet down a curvy, icy waterfall, Wilkinson said.

Mallonee, who did not know where her friend was, hiked out to get help. The troopers and Coast Guard launched a helicopter search for Spray. Ground searchers found his body Sunday morning.

Chignik Bay, population 100, is on Anchorage Bay, on the Alaska Peninsula. It's about 450 miles southwest of Anchorage