I'll agree on the many things we don't know yet about the day hikers on Rainier, Paragon, not so much on the elements of preparedness that might have saved their lives. Some things you may not know:

- hikers had been to Camp Muir at 10,000 feet, ferrying up equipment for a friend making a summit attempt. They were not prepared to bivouac overnight. In hindsight, they should have stayed at Camp Muir, where there is a stone shelter, warmth, food, and other climbers staging for the summit, even 3 MDs. They opted to descend, not aware apparently of an approaching blizzard.
- there is no fuel for making a fire on Rainier, not at 10,000 feet. They made it down approximately 500 feet to Anvil Rock, where they encountered high winds and white out conditions. They stopped and built a snow shelter. I don't know what gear they had, but apparently snow insulation / sleeping pads were not available.
- the deceased hiker chose to place his body on the snow beneath the others, insulating his wife and his friend through a long night. By morning hypothermia was evident, and the friend went back up to Camp Muir for help. The hikers were brought back to Muir, but they were unable to revive the husband hiker.

That's about all I know, all from local press and some offline reports. Its a very sad story, and I think the deceased hiker displayed great courage to do what he did, literally sacrificing his life for his wife and friend. I can't second guess their outing without alot more info than has been made available so far. Rainier can turn on the most experienced and well equipped hikers and climbers in a few minutes - more than a heatsheet, I would pray for all hikers to have critical bivouac gear anytime they are on the slopes. My thoughts are with his wife and family right now.