Tragic news from Mount Rainier as a Ranger aiding in a rescue attempt of four
climbers fell to his death on Thursday afternoon.
A group of four from Waco, Texas had summited Rainier earlier in the day. As they
descended Rainier, two members of the group slipped and fell into a crevasse on
Emmons Glacier. They were all tied together.
The climbers called for help on their mobile phones, alerting park officials to their
location.
Ranger Nick Hall was preparing the group to be extracted via helicopter when he
fell over 3,000 feet from the northeast face. Other rangers reached him at around
10,000 feet and confirmed he had died.
Three of the climbers were removed by helicopter while one remained overnight
with rangers to wait out a bad storm that had blown in.
Hall, a native Maine resident, had been with the Mount Rainier National Park
climbing program for four years.
His death comes only months after the bizarre death of ranger Margaret Anderson,
who was shot trying to stop a man who drove through a checkpoint in the park.