RAPPEL FAILURE, NO HARD HAT, INEXPERIENCE

Washington, Leavenworth Practice Cliffs

Peggy Stark (49) died Sunday [May 24] of head injuries she suffered Saturday in a rock- climbing accident in Chelan County just southwest of Leavenworth, the King County medical examiner’s office reported.

Stark and a companion, James Garrison, had been practicing basic rock climbing about six to eight miles southwest of Leavenworth, beyond the Snow Creek trail near the Icicle River.

Garrison is an experienced climber but Stark was not.

According to Garrison, after about 45 minutes of successful practice, Stark was rappeling down a 15-foot-high section of the rock when she lost control halfway down. She scrambled, twisted, struck her head and was knocked unconscious. (Source: The Seattle Times. May 26, 1981)