A Salem man was found dead Saturday after falling 275 feet from a rock outcrop on the Misery Ridge Trail at Smith Rock State Park. Crews from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue had to lower a stretcher down the north face of Misery Ridge to recover the body, an effort that took about four hours.

Carl Jackson Martens, 60, was hiking with family and friends on the trail Saturday morning, said Lt. Shane Nelson with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. At some point, Martens stopped, and the rest of the group continued on, Nelson said.

At about 10:40 a.m., the other hikers reported that they were missing one of their party, he said, while at about the same time, another hiker reported seeing Martens’ body above a lower portion of the Misery Ridge Trail.

Search and rescue volunteers, as well as representatives with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, the Redmond Fire Department and Oregon State Parks responded to the scene. Because of the loose soil, crews descended from the trail above to recover Martens’ body.

“They set up a rope and litter system, and were able to lower the body to the trail,” Nelson said. “Where they were doing the rescue was very steep and loose terrain, which added an extra element of risk for the volunteers.”

Search and rescue crews slowly and carefully guided the wheeled stretcher down the switchbacks and steps near the base of the Misery Ridge Trail after 2 p.m. They placed Martens’ body in a vehicle, and family members watched from the viewpoint as the vehicle drove up the opposite side of the canyon.

The cause of Martens’ fall is under investigation, Nelson said, although there is nothing suspicious about the incident at this time.

“There’s an inherent risk when you’re outdoors,” he said.

Even though the Misery Ridge Trail is steep, Martens had hiked it before, so he knew what it was like, Nelson said.

That trail was closed during the rescue operation, although the rest of the park was open, and park hosts and rangers told visitors about the accident as they started down the path.

Most people don’t realize how dangerous Misery Ridge is, said Keith Taylor, a park host.

“It’s loose rock, and if you’re not used to hiking, it slides,” he said.

Jonay Pouliot, of Bend, hikes Misery Ridge regularly and said that accidents happen frequently.

“You slip and fall all the time; it’s easy,” she said.

This is the second death at Smith Rock State Park in the past year. In November, an experienced climber from Washington lost his footing and fell 100 feet, according to previous Bulletin reports. Prior to that, there were two deaths at the park in the mid-1990s.