Body of Hiker Recovered from Monument Mountain in Massachusetts

Family members said hiker frequently climbed the mountain

The body of a missing hiker was recovered Friday on Monument Mountain Reservation in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, after an eight-hour search and four-hour recovery operation.

Rescuers were dispatched to the area at 3:18 p.m. after Joan Sussman, 67, of Ashley Falls/Sheffield, reported she was injured.

Because of the steep terrain, additional crews and all-terrain vehicles needed to be called in.

Sussman's body was found at 10 p.m. on a rock cropping.

Family members said she was a frequent climber and regularly hiked the mountain.

Officials said this was the second rescue effort performed at the mountain in the past week.

The incident is under investigation by the Great Barrington Police Department.

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