BAD WEATHER, EXHAUSTION, FROSTBITE Washington, Mt ...
BAD WEATHER, EXHAUSTION, FROSTBITE Washington, Mt. R ainier A search and rescue operation which involved the use of five aircraft, four Seattle M ountain Rescue members and numerous NPS employees was com pleted on M ay 8. This operation rescued one clim ber from a perilous point on the upper Carbon Glacier. All members of the four-man Sanford clim bing p arty survived their encounter with the m ountain, although two suffered from moderate to severe frostbite of the feet. The Eric Sanford (27) p arty had begun their clim b on M a y 2 from the C arbon River R an ger Station. Although no rangers were at the station at the tim e, they registered for their clim b by com pleting clim bing cards at the self-registration facility and began their clim b at 6 a.m . Included in the p arty were Eric Sanford, the leader, M ichael Loeffler (28), Stimson B ullitt (59), and his son Ben B ullitt (22). All were experienced clim bers and two, Sanford and the elder B ullitt, had clim bed M t. M cK inley in A laska. The p arty clim bed to the 7,100-foot level on the C arbon G lacier on M ay 2 and established a base camp. T heir plan was to ascend Liberty R idge to Liberty C ap, descend the W inthrop G lacier, cross the lower C urtis R idge to their base camp and ultim ately return to C arbon River R an ger Station. On M ay 3, they crossed the upper Carbon G lacier to the base of L iberty R idge and then clim bed the ridge to the 12,700foot level. Overnight the w eather turned, and they soon becam e trapped for several days in a whiteout compounded by high avalanche conditions resulting from more than six feet of new snow. The p arty had planned to return M ay 5, but were unable to move until Sunday, M ay 6. O n S u n d ay , the o ther three in the p arty left the eld er B u llitt, suffering from exhaustion, at the 13,000-foot level. He was found in good condition despite a two-day bivouac. On the w ay down, the p arty left Ben B ullitt, suffering from frostbite, at the lower level of 7,000 feet. Sanford w alked out to the Carbon R iver R anger Station, and later in the day Loeffler arrived. M eanw hile, aircraft rescue efforts had begun and,
W ASHINGTON
/
45
thanks to helicopter and rescue personnel, both Bullitts were retrieved from the m ountain. All the clim bers recovered fully, although Ben B ullitt lost one toe. (Source: John W ilcox, M t. R ain ier N ational Park, and T he S eattle T im es, M ay 9, 1979) (E d. N ote: No a n a lysis w a s p rovid ed . It m ay be n oted that the L iberty R id ge is a route fo r ex perienced clim b ers a nd that d ista n ce com pounds m ishaps a nd ba d w ea th er con d ition s.)
W ASHINGTON
/
45
thanks to helicopter and rescue personnel, both Bullitts were retrieved from the m ountain. All the clim bers recovered fully, although Ben B ullitt lost one toe. (Source: John W ilcox, M t. R ain ier N ational Park, and T he S eattle T im es, M ay 9, 1979) (E d. N ote: No a n a lysis w a s p rovid ed . It m ay be n oted that the L iberty R id ge is a route fo r ex perienced clim b ers a nd that d ista n ce com pounds m ishaps a nd ba d w ea th er con d ition s.)
