By Amanda Swinehart

Helicopters were heard around the clock in McCarthy last weekend as the National Park Service (NPS) and Alaska Air National Guard worked to rescue five people in two separate incidents in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

Both parties were stranded for multiple days due to inclement weather.

Mountaineers near Mt. Bona
The NPS was notified on the morning of Saturday, May 29, that two mountaineers on a high-altitude training mission were stranded with altitude sickness on the Klutlan Glacier, located in the southern district of the park near Mt. Bona.

According to an NPS press release, they were part of an expedition guided by St. Elias Alpine Guides (SEAG), based in McCarthy.  The NPS contacted the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center (ARCC) shortly after it was alerted of the situation, and the ARCC requested assistance from the Alaska Air National Guard (AK ANG).

The AK ANG dispatched a Pave Hawk helicopter and a Combat King II helicopter, but poor weather conditions prevented them from retrieving the mountaineers.

The next morning, May 30, it was reported that another member of the team had cold-related injuries. That evening the AK ANG dispatched a Chinook helicopter to provide further assistance.

After more than 20 attempts at extraction over the four-day period, rescuers were able to land in the Chinook at the team’s drop off landing zone, located at approximately 10,000 ft., on the evening of June 1.

All 12 mountaineers and approximately 1,000 pounds of gear were loaded into the helicopter and transported to the Gulkana Airport where the two members of the team with symptoms of high-altitude sickness were transloaded to the Combat King and medevaced to Anchorage.

Pilot and Passenger Rescued from Hawkins Glacier
On the afternoon of May 29, the International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC) notified ARCC of a second emergency happening in the park.

A pilot and passenger traveling from Talkeetna to Yakutat in a Cessna 182 sent the IERCC “rescue needed” and SOS messages from an InReach device near Mt. Hawkins.

According to the press release, “Assistance was requested of Paul Claus, chief pilot and owner of the Ultima Thule Lodge, to locate the plane, but the search was unsuccessful due to weather.”

After several days and several failed attempts, the AK ANG’s pair of helicopters reached the men around 2 a.m. on May 31.

It was reported that the men were cold but only had minor injuries.

Carrie Wittmer, a public affairs officer with the NPS, said she could not confirm details of what the press release described as a “plane crash,” but said the National Transportation Safety Board would need to investigate the accident further.

Check our June 10 issue for updates on all three recent rescues in WRST NP.

Read more local search & rescue stories with these articles:

Alone on the Valdez Glacier: Tim Mills’ Survival and Rescue

Injured Hiker Requires Multi-Agency Rescue in Wrangell-St. Elias NP