Missing Mount Rainier climber’s body found in crevasse; he was celebrating 80th birthday

Search crews on Mount Rainier have found and recovered the body of a man matching the description of an 80-year-old solo climber reported missing last week, Mount Rainier National Park officials said.

Dawes Eddy of Spokane, Washington, embarked on a solo climb on May 30 and was last seen that night heading up hill on an area of the 14,441-foot (4,402-meter) mountain known as Cathedral Gap, Park officials said Tuesday in a statement.

He was hiking Rainier for the 50th time to celebrate his birthday, KING-TV reported. He told park officials he was hiking alone and was taking the Ingraham Direct route, which the park said is part of the most popular climbing route on the volcano.

Park rangers were notified Thursday that Eddy had not come down the mountain as expected and began searching likely climbing routes. Days of searches by helicopter and on the ground along his likely climbing routes by multiple groups were unsuccessful, officials said.

On Monday night, two guides from Rainier Mountaineering spotted an unresponsive climber in a crevasse at about 11,500 feet (3,505 meters) on the Ingraham route, officials said. A team of four rangers and a guide recovered the body on Tuesday.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner will identify the climber.

While climbing Mount Rainier in March 1999, Eddy fell over rock cliffs and tumbled about 1,900 feet (579 meters) down a gully. He was rescued by other mountaineers and park rangers. A ranger at the time said Eddy survived partly because of luck and soft snow conditions.

Mount Rainier is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Seattle.