Fierce weather on Mount Rainier’s upper slopes Friday thwarted another attempt to find four people missing on the mountain.
After a short morning search, five rescuers were forced off the mountain, but they remained in position to continue searching once weather improves, said Mount Rainier National Park spokeswoman Patti Wold.
The weather also prevented using a helicopter, which remained on standby at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Searchers faced 40 mph winds and whiteout conditions during Friday’s search.
Two campers – Mark Vucich, 37, of San Diego and Michelle Trojanowski, 30, of Atlanta – were due off the mountain Sunday. Two climbers – Sork Yang, 52, of Springfield, Ore., and Jin Seol Hee of Korea – were scheduled to return Monday.
Both parties were well prepared and were thought to be hunkered down and waiting out the storm before come down the mountain to Paradise. However, as time passed, concerns the groups were running low on supplies were mounting.
The campers reportedly had avalanche beacons, which searchers can use to find them, but the climbers did not list beacons among their gear on their climbing cards, Wold said. Both parties are believed to have cell phones, but attempts to reach them have been unsuccessful, Wold said.
There is cellphone reception at Camp Muir, 10,188 feet above sea level, and on the upper mountain, but it is often unreliable, said Eric Simonson, director of Ashford-based International Mountain Guides.
There is a National Park Service radio in Camp Muir’s public shelter. It was checked and operational last week, said Stefan Lofgren, director of Rainier’s climbing program.
Ten elite mountaineers trekked to Muir on Thursday looking for the missing parties. Two remained overnight while eight returned searching the snowfield again on the descent. Three returned to Muir Friday morning to help in the search.
The families of the stranded parties remained hopeful.
“We choose to remain vigilant and positive for their safe return,” Jack Anthony, Vucich’s uncle, told San Diego’s ABC affiliate television station. “They are experienced and equipped. We elect to consider them as overdue as opposed to missing.”
Craig Hill: 253-597-8497
craig.hill@thebnewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
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