2 hikers found dead on Mount Whitney in California

(CNN) — Two California hikers who went missing earlier this week on Mount Whitney have been found dead, authorities said.

The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office dispatch received a call on Tuesday around 8:30 p.m. PT regarding the overdue hikers, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office on Thursday.

The hikers had intended to descend to the Notch area on Mount Whitney’s Mountaineer Route with plans to ski or snowboard from there back to their camp at Upper Boy Scout Lake, authorities said.

The person who reported the hikers missing had been hiking along with them and waited several hours at camp for their return before contacting the sheriff’s office.

Inyo County’s search and rescue team looked for the hikers by helicopter and by foot, according to the release.

“Tragically, both hikers were later discovered deceased” in Tulare County, California, the sheriff’s office stated in the release.

CNN has contacted the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office for more information.

Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, according to the National Park Service.