Fatality at Muir

Interesting that despite the fall-line from Camp Muir leading to the Nisqually Glacier canyon, many, if not most of the victims and survivors end up east of the ascent route, probably due to the strong prevailing wind.  I recall a fellow back in the 70's, storm-separated from his winter climbing partners just below Muir, who pounded on the Ohana ranger's door ten nights later.

If you decend on the left side of the Muir Snowfield, you'll have a tendency to flow to the Paradise Glacier.

The Muir Snowfield is so huge, it's easy to get disoreinted in white out conditions.

My first time descending the snowfield in a whiteout, I too, started dropping down toward the Paradise Glacier before a break of ~10m visibility revealed enough rock for me to figure out what was going on. It's easy to do. The natural desire to avoid the Nisqually, the prevailing wind direction, and the slight right-hand turn that the ridgeline makes all contribute to the left-trending tendency, methinks.

After a few more trips in the clouds, I decided to make a contribution to the Garmin corporations' coffers. I've not needed the GPS (with waypoints marked on a clear day), but it's worth the weight, to me, to have one more ace up my sleeve should my trusty reckoning/compass/map/memory skills fail me.

In previous posts on this thread, beyond condolences, it has been encouraged that we might learn from this very, very unfortunate event. I keep mulling this over in my head again and again, especially after having read Amar's harrowing experience at the summit earlier this season and then venturing up to Muir myself just yesterday. It has been a very sobering thought. The question I have now is, what are some ideas for surviving such a situation if you were suddenly be thrust into such a situation. The only thing I can initially come up with for protection from the snow is to lay your pack down in the trench as an insulation layer. Other thoughts?

Pack under you could be a good idea. Their huddling was certainly a good idea to conserve and share warmth. Also, carrying that shovel even if weather looks good, and at least a foam sit pad. My ski pack has one built in as its back "frame". Waterproof ski pants or climbing pants and parka and overmitts and second mittens or gloves and a puffy jacket and waterproof warm hat and balaclava. Also a mylar space blanket at less than an ounce. Extra food for calories to burn and some movement might help too. A thermos of tea and a bivy sack among a group would be great but unlikely for a day hike or ski in "summer" when it is so nice to travel lighter. These have gotten me though unplanned overnights or cold stops.

From past igloo, cave and snow trench building I think it also helps stamp down the snow quarry base and let it set up (re-freeze denser) for at least 15 minutes before cutting it, but this is no doubt not an option in a raging blizzard with drifting snow. Sloping to drain might be. Cutting blocks (I carry knotted twine for this) for an A-frame top is a great fairly quick way to warm up a trench, but but blizzard conditions would likely preclude. A trench really beats a cave for quickness and keeping dry (not sweating so much and not crawling in the snow) while building it. See www.usap.gov/travelanddeployment/documen...pt11snowshelters.pdf

On Muir snowfield, I've been caught by storms in spring that separated our group in zero visibiltity, requiring each to make it to Camp Muir solely by absolute trust in compass bearing and altimeter with frequent checks. The wind and cross slope make it feel like the bearing is all wrong when you can't see. Then arrived at Camp Muir and couldn't figure out which building was the shelter because it was so drifted over and nearly couldn't get out of a steep gully among drifts within 30 feet of the shelter, thinking this would be a really stupid way to die after getting this close. Sometimes in winter it requires a fixed line just from the shelter to the toilet, and one winter trip we had to dig out space in the shelter because the (old) door had blown open and it filled with snow floor to ceiling wall to wall. Also had a descent in an ice storm that coated us in rime like a Bering Sea crab boat. Couldn't find the wands, boot track obliterated, and I had yellow goggles but had to scrape the ice off every 5 minutes to read the compass and see a few feet. By the time we were back at Paradise it was sunny and warm, like when we started up. Storms really do come up fast, and even more so on the Emmons side because you can't see them building on the south side. I can totally understand being off course and unable to get back on track, and how they could be quickly overwhelmed by circumstances. Much sympathy for the families in this tragedy.

Teleshichica

Hmmm here's somethings I've done and that I carry all the time when I'm on snow ( I'm on skis if I'm on snow), snow cave not trench (means you need a shovel with you), loosen your boots, a light weight emergency bivouac sack, small foam pad shaped to fit against back of pack, put your feet and legs inside pack sit in snow cave on pad huddle together inside bivouac sack, light candle. Not suggesting this would work every time or this time.

This is pretty sad, I'm sure there are some serious emotional and physical injuries for these people and of course the couple's children won't have their father.

my condolences to friends and family.

greg

The question I have now is, what are some ideas for surviving such a situation if you were suddenly be thrust into such a situation. The only thing I can initially come up with for protection from the snow is to lay your pack down in the trench as an insulation layer. Other thoughts?

I think the most important piece of survival gear for a spring day trip to Muir is a shovel. (I wonder if the party had one.) You need to get into a cave, not just a trench. A trench won't cut the wind unless you can cover it really well with a tarp.

Without a shovel, you need to think really hard about your risk of spending the night out. That means turning back sooner on the way up or spending the night at Muir if there's a risk of whiteout on the way down.

Darn... This is really bad.  Don't want to see people get hurt, much less die.  That patch between Anvil Rock and Camp Muir.... in good weather, it looks like you can reach out and touch Muir.  It doesn't look like a half hour, 500 vertical hike.  It just looks so managable.

But I have been up there in nasty weather.  And have used GPS to track down to a Pebble Creek waypoint when I didn't plan on it when going up.

I have seen plenty of folks hike up there in tenny runners, shorts and a tank top.  - crazy.  I never wear shorts up there and carry heavy windpants that unzip down the sides so I can put them on over my boots (kind of like ski boots).  I pack enough that I feel I could spend the night if necessary.  Well.... I have spent a planned night at Anvil Rock in hign winds... not really fun.  But I had a tent.  Miserable in the tent but alive.

It was nice during the day and v+ nasty at night.  July -  Hard to dig a pit even with a pick and shovel.  For survival without a tent you would need a serious deep pit or some rocks to hide under.

Here are some pics:

... Looking up from Anvil Rock to Camp Muir.  Hard to belive that's a 500 ft. climb. 
lawrencetrotter.com/RainierPics/Rainier%207-29-00%204.jpg

... looking downhill
lawrencetrotter.com/RainierPics/Untitled3.jpg

... The edge at Anvil Rock.  I might be tempted to slip into one of those cracks in emergency.  But this shows why the snowfield is so dangerous in a white out.
lawrencetrotter.com/RainierPics/Untitled6.jpg

... looking down over the edge at Anvil Rock.
lawrencetrotter.com/RainierPics/Untitled7.jpg

... Backside of Anvil Rock... could get out of the wind there if you don't mind heights.
lawrencetrotter.com/RainierPics/Untitled8.jpg

Reading these suggestions and past stories is very informative.
My pack has a cell-foam pad fitted in it (hence my thoughts about sitting on it) and I always carry an emergency bivy, puffy pants, coat, candle, and nesbit stove along with the standard 10 essentials, multiple pairs of gloves, extra socks, hats etc. and several heavy duty trash compactor bags--which I discovered two weekends ago are not only exceptionally waterproof, but windproof as well. (Although not very fashionable.)
All this gear seems like overkill much of the time, especially when baking under the hot sun on a nice day, but more than once I've emptied nearly my entire pack finding all gear but the emergency bivy and stove necessary . . .

Very good suggestion and logic regarding the shovel though. That usually gets dumped once things are really stable and the avalanche danger greatly subsides; but it certainly would be invaluable in the event that one needed to construct a shelter.

Thank you very much for sharing your insight and experiences.

July -  Hard to dig a pit even with a pick and shovel.  For survival without a tent you would need a serious deep pit or some rocks to hide under.

Good point about the snow hardness in July (and later). Even with a shovel you might not be able to dig a cave. I doubt the snow was quite so hard this week. A tarp with stake-out loops could be really useful. Even if you can only dig a trench, a tarp could make the difference. You'd want to stake it out over the trench with rocks, ice axes, or whatever, then pile snow around the edges to keep the wind out.

The key is to create a dead air space. Being out in strong winds without some kind of shelter is deadly. I'd rather have a good shelter than a down parka, for instance.

Personally, besides a first aid/emergency kit (done up with everything from emergency glow sticks to waterproofed matches) and other common essentials, I always carry a space bivy/blanket.  These can not only make an excellent tarp or insulating layer, but they are strong enough that they can carry a person if need be.  They also will allow a person to ROCKET glissade - whether for fun or necessity.  I usually vote for the bivy over the blanket as I always put my sleeping bag inside it to keep the down dry, but either one is a huge bonus - and as mentioned, they are too light not to carry one.

For my day trips, I bring along a huge synthetic parka that comes down to my knees, and a huge completely waterproof cagoule goes on over that if necessary. That comes down to my shins. This system has kept me completely dry in some really soaking weather, and allows me to be either stationary or on the move. This is lowland forest type stuff that I do though I think it would work well for mtneering, if a bit heavier than down.

I think if I started mtneering again, I'd forgo the bivy bag and make one of those Zdarsky tents that Lowell describes on his site:

www.alpenglow.org/tech/zdarsky-tent/

Oh yeah, and the little square of ensolite pad to sit on, like has already been mentioned.

I bring a miniature flare gun with me that is no bigger then my index finger. It wont protect me from hypothermia but if I need to be located it would do the trick. I also bring a emergency down coat that packs really small in case my gear gets soaked. On another note I have been on Muir getting September turns when we got stuck in a white out. We navigated very slowly using the GPS and a little bit of common sense (being familiar with the landscape) but in the back of my mind I had the fear of falling into the Nisqually basin.

Kyle, it's interesting that you mentioned the minature flare gun. I am replacing the meteor flares on our boat and thought about putting one in my pack. As you mentioned, they are small and lightweight.

6 19 800 29 86 26 42 56 281
6 19 900 29 91 34 44 54 283
6 19 1000 29 97 36 47 57 278
6 19 1100 29 100 33 43 52 275
6 19 1200 30 73 29 40 49 276
6 19 1300 30 91 26 36 48 271
6 19 1400 30 96 25 37 48 269
6 19 1500 31 93 30 39 48 275

Just an observation. These are the temps and winds on 6/19 at Camp Muir. Alot milder in comparison to the weather those three hikers had a while ago.

I hiked/skinned /skiied that day. Made it as far as Anvil Rock and bailed out. I've been to Camp Muir on July 1st. It was a nice day , somewhat with similar conditions to the 19th. It started snowing heavy when I got to Muir. I quickly got into the hut and put on a full force Goretex coat and pants. Without that I would have been in a world of hurt. I hiked down. Below 7,000', the snow turned to pouring down rain. With a strong wind, it would have been miserable.

My point is, don't under estimate the power of wind. Many climbers turn around on this element all by itself.