The death of a teenage hiker along the Pacific Crest Trail has been ruled an accident, coroner documents show.
Timothy Evan Nodal, 19, of Julian died of heat stroke while hiking with a friend in the Cleveland National Forest in temperatures ranging from 74 to 80 degrees.
The teenager was near Lake Morena on April 24 when he started feeling sick and called his step-father for help. The teenager’s step-father called 911.
When firefighters got to the camping area around 1:30 p.m., they were talking with the teenager and going over his symptoms.
The hiker said he wasn’t feeling good and then suddenly went into arrest, officials said.
CalFire officials said the teen was pronounced dead at 2:23 p.m.
There was no evidence of dehydration, alcohol or substance abuse according to the coroner's report.
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Nodal was found seven miles from the nearest campsite with approximately ½ liter of water left in his backpack, officials said.
The Pacific Crest Trail begins in Campo and travels more than 2,600 miles along the West Coast from border to border.
