A 26-year-old Saguaro National Park crew member died Wednesday afternoon while hiking up to the Rincon Mountains, a park official said.
John "Jake" Quilter was a seasonal trail crew member at the park and had been working there for about a month when he suddenly died, said Chief Ranger Bob Love.
The cause of death will not be known until an autopsy has been performed, he said.
Quilter was hiking on Manning Camp trail in a group of nine crew members to perform rehabilitation work on a trail in the Rincons, Love said.
Quilter, of Mechanicsville, Va., had gotten ahead of the group and was discovered lying on the trail by another crew member around 12:15 p.m., Love said.
He had no pulse and was not breathing, Love said. A crew member performed CPR on Quilter and 911 was called.
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A medical helicopter arrived at the site, but Quilter was pronounced dead on the trail, Love said.
"It's a tragedy," Love said. "He was a fine young man — healthy, fit and strong. This is a huge surprise to us."
"We are all very saddened by this. The park service is a big family and even though he did not work here long, he was still a part of that family," Love said.
Quilter worked at other national parks, including Grand Canyon, Grand Teton and Olympic, Love said.
