Washington, Mt. Baker (See accident report.) Hans Jorritsma placed Miss Huckell in a shallow moat between the rock and ice at an elevation of 8000 ft. He remained with her until 3:00 A.M. (12 hours), then left for help. Instead of returning by way of Camp Kizer, however, he took what he thought to be a short cut through brush and logging roads to the highway, and notified the Forest Service.

Thirteen Marine reservists were enlisted to aid in the rescue under the leadership of Dr. Otto Trott and a forest service man. In rapidly deteriorating weather the group left the Mt. Baker ski area and hiked in heavy rain to Camp Kizer, arriving after dark. Since Jorritsma had reported that the girl was “on the trail”, the group was not prepared for an alpine rescue, and it was now snowing heavily, with gusts up to 70 miles per hour. Upon arrival at Camp Kizer, it was learned that Miss Huckell was still a long distance away. With the marines dressed only in cotton trousers and long parkas, the only possible decision was to retreat to the last group of trees, build a fire, and attempt to survive the blizzard. The entire group suffered greatly during the long night.

On the following morning (Monday) an advance team from Seattle MRC overtook the group. They were equipped with a Thermex heater, and sleeping bags. Weather continued severe, with poor visibility. Jorritsma had difficult in locating the girl, who was reached at noon, two nights or 45 hours following the accident. She was dead, and covered by 1½ feet of newly fallen snow. The advance party of eight was unable to complete evacuation under the severe blizzard conditions, and the area was marked for future location. The 35 men in the field all reached the road well after dark.

Source: Klindt Vielbig, Seattle Mountain Rescue Council.

Analysis: The advance party was unprepared for the terrain and distances involved due to the survivors’ inaccurate report concerning the victim’s location. With rapidly deteriorating weather, what was believed to be a simple task became a lengthy fight for survival. The lesson is to learn all facts, plan accordingly, and then be prepared for emergencies. Tents were found to be vastly superior to sleeping bags for survival in blizzard conditions. The smoothly functioning radio network was invaluable in control and in getting all rescue personnel out safely.