This is sad

A geocacher in San Antonio died while seeking his fourth find. News article here. A discussion about the accident is going on in the Groundspeak Forums.

Initial news reports said he died from a fall in a ravine near the cache:

A man out on a scavenger hunt ends up dying while searching for the treasure. Police say it looks like 64-year-old James Max Chamberlain fell off a small cliff at Eisenhauer Park, off Northwest Military Highway.

Chamberlain went on the scavenger hunt Saturday morning using a hi-tech GPS system he had just bought. His wife called police Saturday night after he didn't come home.

"From the evidence, just leads us to believe right now, that he was walking along the trails, got to his destination, and he either slipped and fell down the ravine, or was trying to walk back up the little incline and slipped back," said Lieutenant Rosie Vasquez.

Chamberlain's death appears to be an accident.

Folks in the Groundspeak Forum provided this update:

The local radio news reported this hour that prelimary reports are pointing to a heart attack as the cause of death. It will probably be awhile before that shows up on the web and for a link to be posted.

All this highlights the need to observe common sense safety guidelines when caching.

• If you cache alone, be sure someone knows where you're going and when you're expected to return.
• Always have a partner when you attempt physically challenging caches. This will vary based on your personal condition. A cache which might be easy for one person might be impossible for you.