Snowshoe hiker missing on Mount Rainier found alive

norseman61 said on January 17, 2012 at 2:50 PM

It is gratifying knowing this man can come back another day for life. Not knowing him, perhaps he could re-pay our citizen group by volunteering for helping Seattle-Tacoma Mountain Rescue Group. I have been on many rescues. Usually the rescued is willing to help the rescue group. These rescue groups have a very organized trained group; they always need help, especially in winter.

gfk said on January 17, 2012 at 12:34 PM

So he "failed to return from hike Saturday", is someone from China writing this article?

shibas1 said on January 17, 2012 at 12:29 PM

This is wonderful to read Good news for a change. Good for all involved for making this a great ending .

starteck81 said on January 16, 2012 at 9:02 PM

@redrabbit, well said...Also, if you never take a risk in your life then you have never truly lived. Taking calculated risks are what use to make the US great. Now we just cower in front of the TV. Oh, and one more thing, most of the people that were searching for him were volunteers. When was the last time you volunteered to your time to a good cause?

mtntony said on January 16, 2012 at 9:02 PM

2 thumbs up for this guy surviving the 2 nights out there. Experience and skill helped him thu this. Not matter why he became seperated, he will live for another adventure. I totally agree with RedRabbitt. 90% of you guys are in a comfy house or apartment , and have never ventured past your mailbox.

Kim62 said on January 16, 2012 at 8:37 PM

Good news, a 66 year old man is out in the back country for two days and is found in good condition. The base of the hill he slid down must have led away from where he thought it did.

pettypplsuck said on January 16, 2012 at 7:35 PM

Actually I believe HE DID slide/fall down and, instead of climbing back up to rejoin the others, made the choice to instead meet them further down the trail. Then he took a "wrong turn" and ended up in the drainage.

conseula said on January 16, 2012 at 7:09 PM

This man did not "FALL DOWN THE CLIFF." This man chose to slide down the cliff/take a short cut rather than ascend the slope with his group.!! HE CHOSE TO GO AROUND AND MEET THEM FURTHER DOWN THE TRAIL!!

snakepliskin said on January 16, 2012 at 5:53 PM

Since he survived, I think it can be said that he knew what to do to survive. He may not have been lost, he may have been trapped and couldn't get out of where he was. Some of those gully's are too steep to climb out of and for a casual snowshoeer, rope isn't on the list of 10 essentials. Think folks, it was in the same park where a bad guy lost his life to exposure during one night, just a couple of weeks ago. These 2 incidents were mere miles apart. This man spent 2 nights and survived. He probably hunkered down in a snow cave at night, real close to where he fell down the hill. Give him credit for doing a lot of things right.

bbaxter929437904 said on January 16, 2012 at 5:16 PM

@redrabbit. Bravo!!! Well said!!!

Curlygirl said on January 16, 2012 at 5:02 PM

Woo-hoo!! They found him alive! That means he was much better prepared than many of you who posted assumed he was. I am thankful the time, energy, and effort was spent to search for and find him, as I'm sure his friends and family all are.

liveincovington said on January 16, 2012 at 5:00 PM

What wonderful news! I am so happy for his family!

nen78059 said on January 16, 2012 at 4:59 PM

@kendianne ; while following water down hill is a good rule of thumb it is not always the best choice. Carry a compass,a map and maybe even a GPS and know how to use them. Always have your map and compass as a back up GPS's do fail. The back-country is covered with ridges, crisscrossing finger ridges and numerous draws. Streams disappear often and you can not always find them again. Unless you are completely lost there is probably a better choice. Also there is no water on rainier near the are this gentlemen was at. Being that he was reported missing two nights ago and he was found safe it sounds like this gentlemen was prepared to stay out longer than expected. Good for him. I was very against technology for a long time. But I recently purchased a spot locator beacon and it does not leave my side while i am in the back-country. I can push one button and search and rescue would know exactly where I am. They are extremely easy to set up and maintain I would recommend them to

kendianne said on January 16, 2012 at 4:19 PM

Forgot to add that my dad, who NEVER got lost, told me that the best way out of the woods if you are really lost is to find a steam and follow it. You will ALWAYS come to civilization, since ALL water runs downhill. IF you are climbing up a hill when you are lost you are going the WRONG WAY.

kendianne said on January 16, 2012 at 4:17 PM

Amazing. Another "experienced hiker" got lost. Experienced hikers do NOT get lost! Hikers that get lost should be made to pay for their rescue. GET A PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON OR A GPS if you are so abysmally incapable of determining your location. Almost all of today/s smart phones will tell you EXACTLY where you are for the price of a simple .99 CENT app!. And YES, they work WITHOUT cell phone coverage!

pixelater said on January 16, 2012 at 2:10 PM

@redrabbit. Thank you, well said.

Daytrader said on January 16, 2012 at 1:31 PM

This happens every year at least 4 or 5 times on Mt. Rainier, its a constant pattern of folks biting off more than they can chew when its comes to Mt. Rainier.

redrabbit said on January 16, 2012 at 12:55 PM

I would rather spend few thousand tax dollars to rescue a person from mt Rainier once in a while than spend hundreds of millions to treat diabetes and heart attacks for a bunch of fat pathetic losers sitting on their couches, eating pizza, watching tv, and deciding who's responsible and who's not.

nen78059 said on January 16, 2012 at 10:02 AM

I pray they find this guy safe and unharmed. This is a perfect example of why you should always pack for the minimum an over night stay. You never know when this can happen. When I go on a day hike I do not pack a tent but I always carry a small reflective, thick tent footprint that I can use as a shelter, I don't have confidence in the thin emergency blankets, along with extra clothes food, and water. There are a lot of heartless people on this site who would rather stay at home and stay "safe". But there is one thing they are right about. We should be more responsible with ourselves while out there. I would not have a problem with paying back the search and rescue expenses if I needed the rescuing.

saynotolibs said on January 16, 2012 at 9:57 AM

It's a tragedy for sure. Too many people think that they are "well experienced" in this area. Hiking up Tiger mountain 20 times doesn't make you experienced. Never a good idea to separate from your group when in the mountains - especially during the winter.

sasquatch said on January 16, 2012 at 9:53 AM

"conseula said on January 15, 2012 at 9:20 PM It is hard to have empathy for these snow type people that deliberately get themselves in trouble" Snow type people? You mean someone that actually goes outside and enjoys nature rather than sitting in thier house watching the Kardashians? He did this deliberately? Yes, I'm sure he set out to get lost and freeze to death on the mountian. BTW - Snow Type People - does that mean you have been housbound the last few days because there have been a few white flakes flying? After all, you may get yourself in trouble if you leave the security of your house and need the help of a tax paid public servant.

gonegreen said on January 16, 2012 at 1:55 AM

I don't think the rescue scenario is really the quandry. And I don't think spending the tax payer dollars is really the issue. I thinks our society has changed the reason and purpose of our Wilderness. I am assuming this person was in the Wilderness. By definition I think a person going into Wilderness should accept a certain level of risk. The problem is that our society has changed the interpretation of what's that level of risk. When John Muir went into the Wilderness there was no helicopter coming to rescue him if he got in trouble. To truly have the Wilderness experience a person needs to leave the electronic items at home. Once you enter the Wilderness you need to understand it is you and nature. A person needs to rely on themselves and fellow adventurers if in the company of others. I never hike developed trails. I almost always go alone. I weigh my odds before setting out. I enjoy a true Wilderness experience on each outing. Try it and you will return re-created.

cris725 said on January 16, 2012 at 12:00 AM

@conseula I'm not saying a "TAXPAYER" shouldn't be tacky. I meant AS PEOPLE, we shouldn't be tacky and say cruel, heartless things about OTHERS. Trust me, my first thought was, "Wow, he and his group should have known better and waited together instead of agreeing to keep going separately. That's Hiking 101." However, not once did I say or think something cruel and heartless about my fellow man or bring up something as petty as money. I just hope he's found. And it was an accident. He slid down a slope. He went up there with all intentions of being safe in an unpredictable situation. Just like so many of us get into our cars and on the road with the best intentions to be safe. But roads are also an "unpredictable situation". There are other drivers going down the road at speeds up to 70 mph or more in huge metal objects. There are avalanches in some places. There are animals that jump out in front of you. Brakes fail Road hazards that you might not see when you come around the corner.

conseula said on January 15, 2012 at 10:53 PM

@crisis725..Your wrong, it is not up to the tax payer to think about this person (s) family, this person (s) should have been the one thinking about his family before he/they deliberately play Russian Routlette or go against the odds with their irresponsible decisions. I won't require help from a public servant as I am too smart to deliberately get myself in trouble..I think you are comparing apples to oranges when using a car accident as an example..People don't normally delibertaley get in car crashes. And those who go up to Mt. Rainer cannot be help responsible for the unexpected snow storms and I welcome my tax dollars to be spend on these types of searches.

cris725 said on January 15, 2012 at 10:41 PM

All of you, except norseman61, are heartless. Its fine to be concerned about your money, but remember that this guy is family to someone out there. Don't be tacky. Plus, that's what taxes are for. The public welfare. We might not all agree with the way each penny is spent but its there for the function of society in some way. Next time you are in a car accident or need help from a public servant of some kind, I hope you are glad that we collectively paid money for people to help you or rescue you.

conseula said on January 15, 2012 at 10:20 PM

It is hard to have empathy for these snow type people that deliberately get themselves in trouble and then the taxpayer has to pay for the rescue.. I say these people that set themselves up for danger/death, if found by rescue teams, they should have to pay every dime it took to rescue them

banditrider said on January 15, 2012 at 4:24 PM

With cell phones, GPS, etc. we've become too complacent when it comes to the mountains and wilderness. High tech gadgets can fail and then its up to mother nature. Hope they find him.

vffrwm said on January 15, 2012 at 1:55 PM

Leave him up there. No sense anybody else dieing.

TrainChaser said on January 15, 2012 at 12:42 PM

Of COURSE he wasn't equipped for overnight. They never are. They read over and over about what happens to other people, but they know it could never happen to them. Not ever. Yeah. Some people are really slow learners.

norseman61 said on January 15, 2012 at 12:05 PM

I have been on Rainier several times and being up high is no Sunday walk when the winds come.. Even with Arctic gear on, this is a serious situation if lost. Remembering, I hunkered down bringing out my shovel and dug a rectangular hole and got out of the death wind laying on my trail frame pack, put on every piece of clothes , drank SMALL slips of water for metabolism, ate some nuts and candy bar, hurkered into a small ball, hands in arm pits and dreaming being close to my wife. I remembered being the leader and having a practice BEFORE leaving on the trip. There were 10 people where with me. After 1-2 hours ,the storm left. You see the storm was a surprise to me as it was to be a clear day...NOPE,, we went down happy for another day of life.....