Mt. Rainier claims another victim

“http://www.kirotv.com/news/16561550/detail.html

One dead, two others alive on Mt. Rainier.”

“Wow! Killed on the Muir snowfield before the real climb began. Weather can be a #&%!$.

Good thing I'm not headed up til August.”

“Bummer!”

“I printed a page from the park web site that has gps coordinates for the Muir Snowfield to show my wife I won't get lost in a blizzard there.

That guy died at Anvil Rocks, which is about a half mile from Camp Muir.”

“talk about dayhike gone wrong! my heart goes out to those left behind. tragic and humbling.”

“I was supposed to head back next week for a 3 day climb (had to cancel out due to business). I would be interested in knowing what kind of emergency gear they had on them...any idea of the temps?”

“for this trip to colorado in august i was planning to climb with a daypack that contained enough stuff for an overnight, albiet a rough overnight if it got cold. i was feeling kind of dumb but i have always been a 'rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it' kind of guy. it's not like it weighs THAT much.

of course i won't speculate on what happened here because the simple fact is that i don't know.”

““for this trip to colorado in august i was planning to climb with a daypack that contained enough stuff for an overnight, albiet a rough overnight if it got cold.

yogisan"

pretty much my standard practice - i have a superlight emergency bivy that I carry in my daypack along with the most basic bare nessesities.”

“comic books, bubble gum, an ipod, etc. just the bare essentials...”

“exactly - and the solar charger in case the ipod starts to go dead.”

“Tarabull and I just taught some classes in wilderness survival and that's pretty much what we preached---not the Ipod stuff (although that is good advice) but the better-to-be-prepared-than-sorry stuff.”

“I would be interested in knowing what kind of emergency gear they had on them...any idea of the temps?

The temps were around 6 degrees with 70 mph wind gusts and 5-foot snow drifts. They were on a dayhike to Camp Muir at 10,188' and were heading down when the storm hit, and they did not have gear for spending the night. They dug in near Anvil Rock (at about 9580') in whiteout conditons and sandwiched the woman in between the two guys - the two survivors both had hypothermia and frostbite.”

“Other info from NPS Climbing Ranger Roger Gauthier's climbing blog:

Every year, roughly 9,000 people climb Mount Rainier and only about half of them reach the summit. Thousands more take day hikes or overnight camping trips to Camp Muir (48 were registered there on Tuesday night). These individuals are attracted by the majesty of the mountain, the wilderness experience, and the breathtaking beauty of mornings like this one, high above the clouds on the side of the volcano. Like many things in life, there are inherent risks in the wilderness. Sudden storms like Monday’s blizzard can catch even the most experienced and prepared hikers off guard. Visitors should check in with park rangers for the latest information about conditions on the mountain, and should always be prepared for an emergency.”

“If we get caught in a blizzard in Colorado in August, I'm climbing in one of you guy's bivvies with you.”

“shhhhh don't say that outloud!!!

this year, that's not so unlikely!

Aspen is reopening for skiing this weekend, I think they got around 40 inches of snow in the last couple of systems that moved thru!

The San Juans are blaneketed in the stuff! The front range is starting to finally looke like a June/July season is here, but we got a bit of snow yesterday in some areas up high.”

“that is awesome!”