A Chinese woman who was recently found dead in Yosemite National Park in California might have drowned while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, said the park. Investigation results are expected to be released this week.

Wang Chaocui, 27, was last seen by other hikers on July 17. Her body was recovered from a river in Kerrick Canyon late last month.

Wang, also known as Tree, had lived in Shanghai and quit her job to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, a 4,200-kilometer route along the US West Coast, Chinese media reported.

She was found about 1 kilometer downstream of the trail crossing.

"She was a sweetheart. She always had such an amazing attitude and smile," said a hiker under the name "Rhaven" in a comment posted at reddit.com.

Another hiker, "Cantor0101", said Wang may have decided to hike alone because "she had made it through the heart of the Sierras and was almost out of the really treacherous stuff.

"I have no idea if there was friction between her and her hiking mates," Cantor0101 said.

Heavy rains this winter have swollen rivers and obscured some parts of the Pacific Crest Trail under snow, making the hiking route more treacherous than usual.

Stories have been reported of some hikers slipping into fast creeks and being swept away by the current.

A week before Wang's death, the body of a Japanese tourist who was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail was found in a river in Kings Canyon National Park.

In late May, Marvin Novo, 58, of Turlock, California, died while hiking near Whitewater Preserve.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com