Beloved teacher dies in fall 2 miles into long-planned national park trek

A well-known and beloved Washington state teacher plummeted to his death just two miles into a planned solo backpack trek along the John Muir hiking trail last month, according to reports.

Harris Levinson, 61, who taught American studies and theater at Vashon High School in the island town located just outside of Seattle, set out from Whitney Portal in California on June 23 on his way to Yosemite National Park, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The 61-year-old experienced hiker fell nearly 100-feet into a gully just two miles into the nearly 140-mile trek. His body was recovered by Inyo County Search and Rescue on July 12, according to SFGate.

Officials said it appeared the teacher attempted to hike the “climber’s route” up Mount Whitney, which is more treacherous and difficult than the main John Muir Trail, according to reports.

Friends of the longtime educator said he had been planning this trip for months and was thrilled to begin his journey.

“Folks who connected with him in his final days report that he was joyful, eager, friendly, and full of appreciation for his life and the opportunity to go on this adventure,” friend Carolyn McCarthy wrote on a Caring Bridge page for Levinson’s benefit. “In other words, he was Harris.”

“It is clear that he died upon impact,” she wrote, adding, “We are grateful to know he didn’t suffer.”

Levinson was known on the island of Vashon as a talented writer, a theater artist, puppeteer, and sometimes stand-up comic who performed in multiple venues in the tight-knit community, Vashon Beachcomber reported.

“Everyone who encountered Harris experienced his warmth and joy and desire to connect, and these qualities made him a wonderful actor and scene partner,” Steven Sterne, who acted alongside Levinson in a September production of “The Hatmaker’s Wife,” told the outlet.

Yosemite National Park is the third deadliest state park in America, with an average of 11 deaths recorded within its limits each year, according to the National Park Service.