Man dies after fall from cliff in Spokane Valley

A 56-year-old Spokane Valley man died Monday after slipping on wet pine needles and falling over a cliff in the Dishman Hills Natural Area, authorities said. The victim, whose identity was being withheld by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office pending release by the medical examiner, had been hiking with his wife, who summoned deputies to the scene shortly after the 1:20 p.m. tragedy. The man was found at the base of a sheer rock wall popular among rock climbers, according to the sheriff’s office. The couple had been playing an outdoor sport known as Geocaching, authorities said. Participants search for hidden prizes using navigational coordinates, location clues posted on the Internet, and handheld GPS devices. The Dishman Hills Natural Area features numerous Geocache sites, according to the sport’s official Website.