Park rangers recover 2 bodies from Mount Rainier glacier
MOUNT RAINIER, Wash. - Rangers at Mount Rainier National Park have recovered two bodies from the mountain that are believed to be members of a group of four climbers that went missing in a January blizzard.
The two bodies were recovered late Friday afternoon from the Paradise Glacier, not far from the site where the body of a third climber was found last month, said Mount Rainier National Park spokesperson Kevin Bacher.
One of the two bodies recovered Friday was discovered the day before when crews who were conducting routine resupply operations to Camp Muir by helicopter spotted a woman's body hanging over the edge of a large crevasse on the glacier southeast of Anvil Rock.
In addition, camping and climbing gear could be seen strewn across the bottom of the crevasse. The body was partially buried under about five feet of snow and clearly had been there for some time.
The site is about a quarter-mile east of the standard climbing route and on the other side of a ridge, at about 8,200 feet in elevation, Bacher said.
On Friday, rangers climbed to the site to retrieve the woman climber's body with the help of a helicopter. Shortly thereafter, a man's body was found and recovered from under the snow nearby.
Both bodies were transported to the Pierce County Medical Examiner, who will determine the cause of death and confirm whether the two are the missing climbers.
Four climbers went missing in the area where the bodies were found during fierce January storms.
On Aug. 6, the body of missing climber Mark Vucich was found near the climbing route on the Muir Snowfield, about half-a-mile above Pebble Creek at about 8,000 feet in elevation. The bodies recovered Friday are likely members of the same group of climbers, Bacher said.
Rangers are returning to the site Saturday, both on foot and by helicopter, to further investigate what appears to be a large campsite buried under the snow on the edge of the crevasse. They are hoping to find clues to explain what happened and, ultimately, lead to the fourth missing climber.
In addition to Vucich, 37, of San Diego, the missing climbers are 30-year-old Michelle Trojanowski of Atlanta, 52-year-old Sork "Erik" Yang of Springfield, Ore., and Jin Seol Hee of Korea.
The two bodies were recovered late Friday afternoon from the Paradise Glacier, not far from the site where the body of a third climber was found last month, said Mount Rainier National Park spokesperson Kevin Bacher.
One of the two bodies recovered Friday was discovered the day before when crews who were conducting routine resupply operations to Camp Muir by helicopter spotted a woman's body hanging over the edge of a large crevasse on the glacier southeast of Anvil Rock.
In addition, camping and climbing gear could be seen strewn across the bottom of the crevasse. The body was partially buried under about five feet of snow and clearly had been there for some time.
The site is about a quarter-mile east of the standard climbing route and on the other side of a ridge, at about 8,200 feet in elevation, Bacher said.
On Friday, rangers climbed to the site to retrieve the woman climber's body with the help of a helicopter. Shortly thereafter, a man's body was found and recovered from under the snow nearby.
Both bodies were transported to the Pierce County Medical Examiner, who will determine the cause of death and confirm whether the two are the missing climbers.
Four climbers went missing in the area where the bodies were found during fierce January storms.
On Aug. 6, the body of missing climber Mark Vucich was found near the climbing route on the Muir Snowfield, about half-a-mile above Pebble Creek at about 8,000 feet in elevation. The bodies recovered Friday are likely members of the same group of climbers, Bacher said.
Rangers are returning to the site Saturday, both on foot and by helicopter, to further investigate what appears to be a large campsite buried under the snow on the edge of the crevasse. They are hoping to find clues to explain what happened and, ultimately, lead to the fourth missing climber.
In addition to Vucich, 37, of San Diego, the missing climbers are 30-year-old Michelle Trojanowski of Atlanta, 52-year-old Sork "Erik" Yang of Springfield, Ore., and Jin Seol Hee of Korea.
