Climbing
On Sunday rangers at Mount Rainier National Park, WA recovered the bodies of two deceased individuals from Tolmie Peak, in the northwest corner of the park. The bodies were discovered on Saturday, October 31 by hikers. An investigation, while ongoing, suggests the individuals are deceased from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds that occurred during the previous few days.
Both victims are male, ages 29 and 34, and neither are from western Washington. Because the Mowich Lake Road is closed for the season, access to the area requires an 8.5-mile hike, passing closed gates.
Identification is not being released at this time, pending the notification of the family. The bodies were flown out by helicopter and turned over to the Pierce County Medical Examiner on Sunday, November 1.
Mount Rainier National Park is an American national park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. The park was established on March 2, 1899, as the fifth national park in the United States, preserving 236,381 acres (369.3 sq mi; 956.6 km2) including all of Mount Rainier, a 14,411-foot (4,392 m) stratovolcano. The mountain rises abruptly from the surrounding land with elevations in the park ranging from 1,600 feet to over 14,000 feet (490–4,300 m). The highest point in the Cascade Range, Mount Rainier is surrounded by valleys, waterfalls, subalpine meadows, and 91,000 acres (142.2 sq mi; 368.3 km2) of old-growth forest. More than 25 glaciers descend the flanks of the volcano, which is often shrouded in clouds that dump enormous amounts of rain and snow.
