Man Found Dead on Mt. Rainier During 50th Solo Climb to Celebrate 80th Birthday

Mount Rainier National Park officials announced on Tuesday that they had recovered the body of an 80-year-old solo climber who had been reported missing after a six-day search. While the medical examiner has not yet confirmed the identity of the climber, officials believe it is Dawes Eddy of Spokane, Washington. According to CBS News, the body was discovered inside a crevasse.

Eddy embarked on a solo climb on May 30 and was last seen that night while heading up hill on a mountain known as Cathedral Gap, according to park officials. He took one of the park's most popular trails leading to the glacial summit, the Ingraham Direct climbing route.

After being notified on June 1 that Eddy had not come down the mountain as expected, park rangers immediately began searching likely climbing routes using aerial and ground resources, according to the Associated Press. Despite days of searching by helicopter and on the ground, they were unsuccessful. A National Guard Blackhawk helicopter even conducted a night operation flight on the third day, using an infrared sensor to search for signs of body heat, but none were detected.

Six days after searching, two guides from a mountaineering company saw an unresponsive climber in a crevasse and alerted officials, who were finally able to recover the body on Tuesday. A team of four rangers and a guide were involved in the recovery effort.

According to KING-TV, Eddy was attempting to climb the volcano for the 50th time, this time to celebrate his 80th birthday.

This incident follows another reported death of a climber on Mount Rainier in the last week. Officials said a 41-year-old man, identified as Brian Harper, collapsed near the summit of the volcano during a guided climb on May 31.