Three climbers were stranded in the rugged St. Elias Mountains of the national park/NPS file

Two rescue attempts were under way Monday at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, where climbing rangers were trying to reach three mountaineers in trouble on Mount Bona while other rangers were trying to reach a downed plane near Mount Hawkins. In both cases poor weather conditions were hampering rescue efforts.

At approximately 7:30 a.m. Saturday, park rangers were notified that two mountaineers on a high-altitude training mission were experiencing high altitude sickness and were stranded on Klutlan Glacier near Mount Bona in the St. Elias Mountain Range in the southern district of the park. The mountaineers were on an expedition guided by St. Elias Alpine Guides based out of McCarthy, Alaska, when they started having symptoms this past Friday night. 

Park rangers requested assistance from Alaska Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson RCC, a 24-hour-a-day rescue team, at 7:50 a.m. on Saturday. The AK RCC then requested assistance from the Alaska Air National Guard 210th, 211th, and 212th Rescue Squadrons. An HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter with a Guardian Angel team on board and an HC-130J Combat King II based out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, were dispatched and attempted to access the mountaineers multiple times but were unsuccessful due to poor weather conditions. 

Climbing rangers were trying Monday to reach three stranded mountaineers near Mount Bona/NPS map

Early Sunday, it was learned that a third member of the mountaineering team on Mount Bona had cold-related injuries. The three mountaineers are at the team’s drop off landing zone location at approximately 10,000 feet on the Klutlan Glacier. 

At approximately 1:35 p.m. on Saturday, the International Emergency Response Coordination Center notified the NPS Alaska Regional Communication Center of another emergency occurring in the park. Around the vicinity of Mount Hawkins in the Chugach Range two individuals activated an InReach device, sending SOS and ‘rescue needed’ text messages to the IERCC.

Paul Claus, chief pilot and owner of the Ultima Thule Lodge, was dispatched by the park to locate the plane but was unsuccessful due to weather. Weather conditions also prevented the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter that was already in the area from locating the plane, despite several attempts in the afternoon and evening.

Around-the-clock efforts to rescue victims of both incidents continue in coordination with the Alaska Air National Guard, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve Search and Rescue Team, Ultima Thule Lodge, and St. Elias Alpine Guides.