Cotten Kills- two hikers found dead.

“The article says the men were expirienced and were wearing the proper gear- yet one was in shorts and the other was in cotten pants in the snow? I just don't get it.



Wednesday, May 25, 2005 - Page updated at 12:00 a.m.




Hikers may have been too exhausted to go on

By Craig Welch

Seattle Times staff reporter


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Greg Stark hiked and camped a lot, friends said.



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They were found in the cold and snow, one wearing cotton pants and the other in knee-length shorts, a few dozen yards from a backpack stuffed with a tent, sleeping bags and wet-weather gear.

Two hikers who died during a camping outing on Mount Rainier did not appear to have suffered any injuries and most likely died of hypothermia after struggling to negotiate a storm that brought cold, steady wind and snow.

"It appears from the way they were situated they just became exhausted, sat down in the snow and succumbed to the weather," Mount Rainier National Park spokeswoman Patti Wold said. "But we just don't know."

Three climbing rangers and a helicopter crew yesterday retrieved the bodies of Tim Stark, 57, of Lakewood, Pierce County, and his nephew, Greg Stark, 27, of Issaquah. They had been reported missing Monday by Nancy Stark, Tim's wife.

The men had set out Saturday for Camp Muir, at 10,000 feet, carrying proper gear for an overnight stay. Mike Gauthier, supervisory climbing ranger, passed them about 4:15 that afternoon during a routine trip up the popular climbing route.

"We were walking into a whiteout, right below the clouds at 8,900 feet," Gauthier said. "You could still see Paradise, but there were clouds gathering. They fell behind us, and I don't know if they ever made it all the way to Camp Muir."

That afternoon and night, winds picked up, and more than a foot of fresh snow was dumped. By the time Gauthier and his party began heading back down, visibility was worse.

The bodies weren't sighted until late Monday, when a helicopter search crew spotted the men lying motionless at 8,000 feet, wearing the same clothes they'd been wearing when Gauthier saw them two days earlier. The men were lying on their backs on a 20-degree slope above a crevasse, about 120 yards apart and partially covered by snowdrift.

Tim Stark, an experienced outdoorsman, was apparently well-versed in orienteering and comfortable with a map and compass, Wold said. He also had made the trek to Muir a half-dozen or so times.

Greg Stark, a Web and computer specialist with the University of Washington's health-sciences program, was less-experienced but had grown up in a small town in Eastern Washington and was extraordinarily comfortable in the woods, friends said.

"He'd done a little mountain biking here and there, but he was an avid fly-fisherman and did a lot of hiking and camping," said friend and former boss Bryan Chee. "He was a really sharp, supertalented guy and just incredibly genuine. Everybody liked him."

Rangers aren't sure precisely what happened.

It appears the men may have attempted to pitch their tent, because it had snow and food inside when rangers removed it from their pack. The men were also wearing headlamps, suggesting it was dark when they put the tent away.

"They could have become disoriented, their energy level could have crashed, especially if they were cold or wet," Gauthier said.

"Trying to pitch their tent probably wasn't working, and it was the middle of the night so maybe they just continued on."

Craig Welch: 206-464-2093 or cwelch@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company”

“Cotton didn't kill them. Inexperience or the lack of grey matter did.

50/50 (50% cotton/50% synthretic) has been my favorite clothing for 35 years. I wear it canoeing & wore it in -20 degree weather.Look at my pics on Phil's photo page & see that those are 50/50 pants in all kinds of weather.

I never like shorts in any weather. Pants help keep the critters off you especially with DEET applied to the cuffs. 50% Cotton is comfortable & the 50% synthetic has them dry fast. Best of all, they're cheap.”

“I didn't see where it said they were wearing proper gear. It did say they were carrying proper gear. Not the same. thing.

"The men had set out Saturday for Camp Muir, at 10,000 feet, carrying proper gear for an overnight stay"”

“Hey, you're supposed to be gone! Git!”

“yall do know this was beat to death back in May?”