Video: Day hike turns into tragedy

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LONGMIRE, Wash. – A Bellevue man has died on Mount Rainier and two other Bellevue residents are awaiting rescue after getting caught in a blizzard overnight, according to officials from Mount Rainier National Park.

The hikers are said to be a husband and wife and their male friend - all in their 30s. The husband is deceased.

The group had day-hiked to Camp Muir Monday and were caught in a blizzard coming down the mountain Monday afternoon, according to Sandi Kinzer, park staff.

The group took shelter on the snowfield near Anvil Rock, a large outcropping at the edge of the snowfield and just a short distance from Camp Muir.

At 3:30 a.m., they managed to get through to park rangers with a 911 emergency call, but because of heavy snow and near-zero visibility, rangers were unable to safely initiate a search at that time.

By 7:15 a.m., one member of the party found his way to Camp Muir and was able to direct a search team, made up of climbing guides and park rangers stationed at Camp Muir, to the party's location near Anvil Rock who brought the party back to Camp Muir by 8:30 a.m.

All suffered hypothermia and frostbite, and one became unconscious and unresponsive and ultimately succumbed to his injuries.

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The Muir Snowfield on Mount Rainier.

"The visibility was less than 100 feet," park spokesman Kevin Bacher said. "It was blowing hard up there. There were 5-foot snow drifts. So I'm sure it was an epic struggle to get that 500 feet up to Camp Muir."

The group has taken shelter at Camp Muir, and park officials are waiting for the weather to improve enough to fly them out. Bacher says officials hope to get a helicopter to the scene early Wednesday if weather permits.

Because the surviving hikers are suffering from hypothermia and frost bite, it would be too difficult for them to hike down the mountain. Bacher said they are in the care of three doctors who also happened to be climbing when the blizzard occurred.

"These folks were going up for a day-hike, but who expects a blizzard in the middle of June?" Bacher said. "These kinds of conditions can catch even the most experienced and prepared hikers off guard."

All are in their early 30s and from Bellevue, they are experienced mountaineers who had visited Camp Muir in the past and enjoy hiking on Mount Rainier. Two had previously reached the summit.

Efforts to retrieve the hikers by helicopter will resume at 5 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The names of the individuals have not been released pending notification of family.