Posted on 05/31/2014 9:37:38 PM PDT by steve86
There is no chance of survival for six missing Mount Rainier climbers, officials say. The two guides and four clients from Seattle-based Alpine Ascents International were last heard from at 6 p.m. Wednesday by satellite phone.
Six climbers were killed in a 3,300-foot fall along the steep north slope of Mount Rainier, officials said Saturday, in the worst disaster on the mountain in more than three decades.
Searchers found tents and clothes, mixed with rock and ice, in a debris field along the Carbon Glacier at 9,500 feet, according to the National Park Service. The group’s climbing route, to Liberty Peak, is prone to slides and considered relatively difficult.
The six climbers — two guides and four clients from Seattle-based Alpine Ascents International — were last heard from at 6 p.m. Wednesday by satellite phone. At that time the party was at 12,800 feet with plans to camp overnight.
When they failed to return Friday as planned, the company contacted park rangers. Alpine Ascents is the company that lost five Sherpas at Mount Everest this spring.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.com ...
Besides ego, I think there are also more practical reasons to climb, hike, ride, race, or whatever. It’s an excellent test of your gear and a great way to develop advanced skills, should you ever need them for any reason. And I mean not only the skills to traverse a peak or survive extreme elements, for example, but also the skills to organize and lead others to do so.
RIP, friends.
(Apologies for my double post)
Amen. The good Lord didn't put us here to live "safely." I think he put us here to live fully.
What you said.
And they KNOW IT, which is why if they end up getting killed "in action," so to speak, that is between them and God because they took that risk with their eyes wide open, as is their right. "Safe"-living folks who judge them harshly, would be equally harshly judged by risk-taking folks for living so timidly and dully. I would tend to agree with the latter take, in fact. A wise person once told me that at the end of your life, it isn't what you DID that you regret so much, it's what you DIDN'T do. If I hadn't gone skydiving when I had the chance, I'd regret it to this day; I went, and it remains one of the most thrilling and exhilarating experiences in my life so far.
Risk is the price you pay for opportunity. People who are hesitant to take risks in pursuit of whatever they seek, provide much fewer opportunities for themselves for gaining what they seek.
They will be left...in @1980 17 climbers died on Mt. Rainier...and were left...it’s a dangerous place
AMEN!
One can choose to live or simply exist...it is not for me or anyone else to say what a person chooses to do is “stupid” or not...you may say the same of me and what I choose to do and the risks I assume, but I’ll dismiss it, with prejudice.
RIP and condolences...
BTTT
Amen, amen, AMEN!!!
I shoot, too, at big plate-steel targets in timed runs with .45 Long Colt single-action Vaqueros in each hand; lever-action Marlin; and side-by-side hammerless Stoger 12-gage! I enjoy shooting MUCH more than I expected, and it took me quite awhile to figure out exactly WHY. It's because it's such an adrenalin rush! Much better than sitting on the sideline watching OTHER people shoot and worrying about how dangerous it is.
"Irrational seeker of risk" -- I might be one, too! {^)
I thought endorphins were related to intense exercise ... I get a huge endorphin rush from swimming nearly two miles in a long-course session (!!! It's a blast!), and it is compelling and extraordinarily enjoyable, not to mention healthy (I hope!! ;^) I thank the good Lord for blessing me with such opportunity in every swim. It's a rare and privileged indulgence.
But when I hang onto the strut of an airplane flying 80 miles an hour 3,500 feet above the earth, to let go for a parachute jump (so much fun!!!!!!!), or when I fire off ten .45 rounds from two pistols, one in each paw, as quickly as I can at targets that must be hit in a complex and specific order, or when I ride an ass-over-teakettle roller coaster three or for times in a row ... I think that's adrenalin that's God's gift.
Not that it matters -- endorphins or adrenalin, it stands to reason that judging people for living "too" dangerously is as misguided as judging people for living "too" safely. Doing unto others as I would have them do unto me, includes leaving others alone as I would have them leave me alone. I'll leave other people alone if they want to live risk-averse, but I wish they would leave me alone, or leave these mountain climbers alone, when they or I embrace risk in living to the fullest. Consciences on either side are equally clear.
That's what my wise ol' dad used to say: "We're none of us getting out of this alive." And he definitely lived on the edge, much more dangerously than the average person, as a commercial fishermen. Think "Deadliest Catch." When it came to money, he tried to be safe as houses -- too timid and safe, actually! -- but with his life, he pursued a lot of opportunity for joy and thrill, and therefore took a lot of risks. The payoff was grand ... he died at 90, at home, in bed, sleeping next to his long-loved bride, after a long, colorful, fruitful life filled with adventure, learning, and love. Doesn't get better than that.
While I don't regard mountain climbers as "heroes," I do regard them as kindred spirits of sorts.
Well, if yer belted onto the stool, someone has to fetch the refreshments and they could probably do it safely.
Yup...I'm the resident barstool safety nazi. Rule #1 - while V8 powered barstools may be supercharged, they are limited to 90% nitro.
“Chill out guys - climbing mountains is for anyone with courage and a little crazy. Tragic accident.”
No kidding. It’s stupider and more dangerous to live in many urban cities than it is to climb Mt. Ranier.
“The cat ladies are actually nicer to be fair.”
FR evolution. Harpies>Cat Ladies
My condolences.
I climbed St. Helens in ‘78 (before she blew her top) and figured I could climb Rainier. I got altitude sickness well before the peak and not only did I have to abandon the rest of the summit, another member of my team also had to abandon the summit in order to help me back down.
Agreed!
I used to love reading stories about Brits who explored the world just for fun ... Ie: Richard Burton ...not the actor.
I say it’s stupid.
Climbing a mountain is not the difference between living and merely existing. That’s a false dichotomy.
But thanks for the philosophical lecture.
I agree, though it saddens me when I read about dead climbers leaving wives and children behind.
Sorry, but when a family comes along, it's time to give up mountaineering. Leave it for those young, single guys with everything to prove and nothing to lose.
Don't know if that's the case here or not.
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