JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (KCBS) — A California man has been found dead in Joshua Tree National Park near a popular hiking and rock-climbing spot.
On Monday at around 9:50 a.m., National Park Service responded to a report of a dead body in the area of Hidden Valley Nature Trail, park officials said. Rangers found a 35-year-old man at the base of Sentinel Wall, a 200-foot rock formation known for bouldering.
The man was identified by the Riverside County coroner's office as Michael Spitz, a Spanish teacher from San Diego who taught at Santa Fe Christian Schools in Solana Beach.
"The entire Santa Fe Christian community is deeply grieved to have learned of the sudden loss of our beloved Upper School Spanish teacher Michael Spitz," the school wrote in a Facebook post.
Spitz was remembered as an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed surfing, rock-climbing, skydiving, backpacking, books and coffee.
School officials said that Spitz died in a rock-climbing accident, but the Park Service has not yet released any information on the circumstances of his death.
"Please pray for Michael's family, our Upper School students, staff, and the entire community as we walk through the loss of a dear friend and colleague," the school mourned. "As much as anyone, he modeled the calm strength and peace that comes from a deep and abiding relationship with Christ."
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