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.

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.

The victim 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.

Rescuers tried to check the dog for tags, but it ran away and has not yet been found. Police said there have not been any missing persons reports matching the man's description, either.

The search crews decided to wait until later on Saturday to carry the body off the mountain, since conditions were so slick and treacherous.

The man was not carrying identification and authorities said they were still trying to figure out who he was. It appeared that he had been hiking alone.