Climbing one of the tallest mountains in the country can be difficult for anyone, even those with plenty of experience. Two people climbing Mt. Rainier recently needed rescuing after one of them fell nearly 100 feet into a crevasse.
Two climbers got caught in bad weather last week as they made their way up Mt. Rainier, per KOMO News. The pair ultimately called 911 just after 8 p.m. on May 11 when they were forced to stop climbing at 12,800 feet while below Wapowety Cleaver on the Kautz Glacier climbing route.
While the climbers, whose names have not been released, called emergency officials to let them know of their location, they didn't ask for help at the time. They called officials again around 7:30 a.m. the next day to alert them that they were going to begin heading back down, but things took a turn when a few hours later one of the climbers was injured. About three hours after beginning their descent, the climbers called emergency officials when one of them fell 80 feet into a large crevasse, sustaining both arm and leg injuries, the outlet reports.
After heavy winds halted initial rescue attempts, a rescue squad from Portland and Chinook helicopter finally made contact with the climbers on May 13 and got them to safety. As of Tuesday (May 17), no additional information is available. The condition of the climbers and extent of their injuries is unknown.