MOUNT RAINIER, Wash. -- Rangers at Mount Rainier National Park continue to wait for a break in the weather to recover the body of a colleague.
Nick Hall died Thursday while rescuing four injured climbers near the mountain's peak.
A park spokesman said forecasts Sunday morning called for 90 percent chance of snow on the spot where Hall's body came to a rest after a 2,600 feet slide. There was also rain in the forecast for lower elevations of the mountain.
Rangers said Hall fell from the 13,700 foot level to about 10,000 feet on the mountain's northeast side while helping the injured climbers evacuate the mountain by helicopter.
The final climber descended the mountain with Mount Rainier National Park rangers and was whisked away by car Friday evening. Three other climbers were plucked off the mountain by helicopter Thursday after the group fell and two of them ended up in a crevasse.
Ranger Nick Hall, a native of Patten, Maine, was a 4-year veteran of Mount Rainier National Park's climbing program.
Before that, he lived in Leavenworth and was a ski patrol member at Stevens Pass.
Those who knew him say he lived a quiet life, and loved helping others.
"I know for a fact this is the way Nick would want to go when he's doing what he loved the most - 'cause he truly loved the outdoors very much,” said former landlord Gary Simmons.
Mount Rainier posted a picture of the Climbing Ranger Team on their Flickr page Friday. Nick Hall is pictured at the far left.
Donations
Park officials say Hall's family has asked that donations, in lieu of flowers, be made through the following accounts:
Nick Hall Memorial Fund
P.O. Box 431
Patten, ME 04765
Please make checks payable to Nick Hall Memorial Fund
Donations to this fund will support search and rescue in Maine and assist the Hall Family with travel expenses.
MORA Search and Rescue Fund
55210 238th Ave E
Ashford, WA 98328
Please make checks payable to DOI-NPS and note that the donation is in honor of Nick Hall.
Cards and condolences may also be sent to the above addresses.
