PORTLAND, Ore. -- A hiker died from head injuries in a fall on a Columbia Gorge trail Friday.

Vancouver volunteer firefighter, Jeremiah Lafor, was hiking in the area himself when he noticed a Chow dog sitting at the top of Triple Falls and peering over the edge of a 100-foot cliff.

The man was identified Sunday as Joseph Kohut, 70, from Portland.

Lafor said he glanced over the edge and saw a man lying unmoving about 30 yards downstream from the base of the falls. He alerted another hiker to call 9-1-1 and assessed the scene.

Kohut was in an area hard to get to and conditions were especially slippery already.

A rescue team just happened to be nearby responding to another emergency so 12 of them hiked up the 1.8 mile trail and reached the injured man, who was "suffering from massive head trauma," according to deputy Paul H. McRedmond, Public Information Officer for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office

He said the rescuers were not able to save the injured hiker.

The 70-year-old man had identification in his pocket and police were working on contacting his relatives. His vehicle was also found at the trailhead and towed to a police compound.

Kohut's dog was eventually caught and taken to the Troutdale Animal Shelter.

The search crews carried the body off the mountain on Saturday, since conditions were so slick and treacherous the night before.

Kohut had been hiking alone.