SPOKANE, Wash. — A spokesperson for Mount Rainier National Park confirmed with KREM 2 over the phone they found a body matching the description of Dawes Eddy, the missing Spokane climber.
"Certainly anytime we lose a local legend like that, it's just, there's such a wealth of knowledge that comes from older, more experienced climbers that's just lost anytime someone passes away, whether from natural causes or in the mountains. So that's super devastating," said Nathanael Kerber, a local mountaineer.
Kerber is an avid hiker and mountain climber. He actually climbed Mount Rainier on Friday, June 2, the day park rangers started searching for Eddy.
"We saw this helicopter hovering for like, probably a couple hours just spinning around and at 9 a.m. in the morning, and we were like, 'dude, what is that about?' So, that would definitely make sense," he said.
Eddy was once the oldest man to summit Mount Everest. He was climbing Mount Rainier for the 50th time to celebrate his 80th birthday. Kerber says he's sad but not surprised of what happened.
"Experience does not make you sense, especially as a soloist, it's objectively way more dangerous," Kerber said.
Kerber planned on taking the same route Eddy did. But, after looking at safety reports, he decided to take another route.
"It's part of what happens with mountaineering," said John Macias, who climbs. "There's certain gambles you have to make, but the experience, the thrill, the success, the accomplishment."
Macias is another local climber. He didn't know Eddy personally, but knows the impact he leaves.
"It's a huge loss. Someone having so much experience being such a legend in the community. It's an enormous loss," said Macias.
According to Mount Rainier National Park, park rangers changed the primary route from the Ingraham Direct, which is the route Eddy took, to Disappointment Cleaver on Saturday because of significant crevassing.
Over the course of the six-day operation, the park’s helicopter and ground teams searched both the upper and lower mountain portions of Mr. Eddy’s probable route. On Saturday, June 3, the Army National Guard 1-168th General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB) Blackhawk helicopter conducted a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) night operation flight of the Nisqually and Cowlitz Glaciers. During the operation, no signs of body heat of a solo climber were detected.
On Monday night, local guides found an unresponsive person in a crevasse on the mountain. Crews started searching for the man in that area Tuesday morning. They reached the body Tuesday evening. Park officials confirmed with KREM 2 they are deceased.
Parks officials say the body matches the description of Eddy. But, they can't confirm if it is actually him at this time. The Pierce County Medical Examiner will identify the climber.
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