The victim, whose name is not being released pending notification of next of kin, collapsed after stopping to rest. He had been hiking with a friend, and appears to have died from natural causes.
The victim had apparently been experiencing breathing problems throughout the day. The friend went for help, encountering other hikers, one of whom was a pediatrician.
The doctor performed CPR on the victim for an hour. When rangers arrived, the man was still unresponsive. The Park's medical adviser at the University of Tennessee Medical Center told rangers to discontinue resuscitation effort, given the time that had elapsed.
Jeff
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