While there may be aspects of this story I'm unaware of, there just seem like so many things that could have easily prevented this - a $4.00 AMK Heatsheet, knowledge and a means to build and start a fire, the situational awarness and common sense to have been more preparded for the approaching weather, the list goes on and on...

Three hikers caught in late-spring snowstorm; one dies, two rescued

LONGMIRE, Wash. - An Army Chinook helicopter rescued two hikers Wednesday who were stranded high on Mount Rainier's flank after a late-spring blizzard.

They were picked up about 6:15 a.m. at Camp Muir for a flight to Madigan Hospital at the Army's Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, for treatment or transport to another hospital, Mount Rainier National Park spokesman Kevin Bacher said.

The man and woman had frostbite and hypothermia from being caught overnight Monday in a blizzard, which left the woman's husband dead.

The three had been on a day hike to Camp Muir when they were caught in the storm that dumped 2 feet of snow. Camp Muir is at about 10,000 feet elevation on the 14,410-foot mountain.

Bacher said the three people were experienced climbers and two had reached the top of Mount Rainier before.

Three doctors, clients of a climbing concessionaire in the park, were at Camp Muir with the two surviving hikers, who were suffering from frostbite and hypothermia but were in stable condition, Bacher said.

The three hikers were described as two men and a woman in their early 30s, all from Bellevue, east of Seattle. The dead hiker was the woman's husband, Bacher said.

After a winter of heavy snowfall that forced repeated closure of mountain passes, unseasonably cold conditions have continued long into spring in Washington's Cascade Range. Paradise, the jumping-off point for the trail to Camp Muir, received 2 feet of fresh snow overnight, with 5-foot drifts at the camp, Bacher said.

Bacher said rangers received a call at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday that the hikers were trapped in a blizzard.

Weather prevented a rescue attempt at that time, but one of the hikers reached Camp Muir at 7:15 a.m. The other hikers were found near Anvil Rock, a large outcropping at the edge of the Muir snowfield about 500 feet lower than Camp Muir.

Waited out storm

International Mountain Guides had eight climbing clients and four guides at Camp Muir, while Rainier Mountaineering Inc. had 15 clients and a handful of guides there Tuesday. Both companies said then that their employees and clients were doing well, but hunkered down awaiting better weather.

"I do know it was a tough night up there for the weather, just because of what they were forecasting — high winds and low visibility and snow," said Jeff Martin, RMI operations manager. "Definitely not your typical June weather."

The bodies of two other hikers were found in California's Sierra Nevada backcountry last week.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Lt. Les Lovell said an autopsy performed Tuesday revealed that 70-year-old Thomas Hylton died of a heart of attack on June 2, the day he and 78-year-old Jerome Smith set out for a four-day backpacking trip in Desolation Wilderness just west of Lake Tahoe.

Smith left for help after his friend collapsed but fell down a hillside on his way back to the highway. The sheriff's office said he died from his injuries and exposure to the chilly overnight temperature.

The men's families reported them missing Thursday when they failed to return home to Lincoln, a bedroom community north of Sacramento.

Ya always have to respect Mother Nature...

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.

Yah, it isn't clear what gear that had with them, but it does sound like they were at least somewhat prepared. Unfortunately, not prepared enough.

Hopefully we will hear more details, but Mt. Rainier can be a very serious place.

As noted above, never underestimate Mother Nature.

-john

I think the most dangerous word in english has to be 'experienced.' Walking to the store for milk 99 times makes you experienced in walking to the store. Walking # 100 and not noticing the Goodyear blimp crashing makes you a victim.

Like most accidental deaths that occur in nature, it appears that inadequate decision-making, or inadequate information to guide decision-making, was a major factor.

Make a bad enough decision, or a series of bad decisions, and all the equipment you can carry may not save you.

From the initial scanty information provided, it appears they violated a fundamental rule of outdoorsmanship - check the forecast and keep a close eye on the weather.

Outdoorsmen should have good judgment, but where does good judgment come from? Experience. And where does experience come from? Mostly from bad judgment!

Jeff

Indeed. The other thing people should consider is even if they had checked the forecast, it isn't always right. Betting your life on a forecast seems to be gambling IMO.

-john

" . . . and keep a close eye on the weather."

Jeff

How do Heat Sheets do when laid directly on snow, even in a snow cave? I'm not questioning Paragon's suggestion, but I honestly don't know. Having spent the night inside a tent set up on snow, inside a sleeping bag (with no sleeping pad), I know sleeping on the snow can make for a long, cold night.

First of all, let me make it clear that I'm not trying to throw rocks at anyone, imply that they got what they deserved, or otherwise being callous. Terrible things such as this happen, and I suspect most of us that spend time sharing information here are doing our best to insure that we learn from these tragedies.

That said, simply logging into the Mount Rainier website there is a "plan your visit" link that immediately points out the following two items that I believe could have prevented this:





Hopefully more details and information will become available.

Jim