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DEM #97-1840 October 9, 1997 |
The unit was contacted by Pierce County Department of Emergency Management on Thursday 9 October at 6:05 P.M. They requested that we help recover the body of an Army medical student who had died of hypothermia while on a day hike just west of Mt. Rainier.
Bryan Dumas had left on Sunday for a day hike to an area called Glacier View just south of the town of Ashford. When he didn't show up for work on Monday the Army listed him as AWOL. His family called the sheriffs department on Tuesday and listed him as missing. His car was found on Forest Road 59 about eight miles south of Ashford on Wednesday. A search by units from the Pierce county SAR Council and army units from Fort Lewis in deteriorating weather with blizzard conditions discovered his body on a logging road Thursday afternoon. Due to fallen trees from last winter's storms they were unable to get 4 wheel drive vehicles in to recover the body.
It was decided that they would try to fly in the County's SAR Helo Rainier One to recover his body on Friday morning weather permitting. If the helo was unable to fly eight members of TMRU were put on standby in case the body had to be carried out. The eight members responding were: Mike Mixon, Jim Creamer, Rick Wire, Bill Weber, Russ Brinton, Jim Lewis, Rob Lutz and Jeff Sharp. In addition five members of the McChord Combat control team were also placed on standby.
By 10:30 A.M. on Friday morning the weather had cleared enough that Rainier One was able to land at a spot a few hundred feet from the body. With Rob and Jeff acting as crew chiefs they were able to package the body and return by 1:00 P.M.
While characterized as an experienced level-head hiker Bryan had never hiked in Western Washington before. He left no word of where he was going and was dressed in all cotton clothing and smooth soled tennis shoes. They found no pack or any equipment that might have enabled him to survive in bad weather.
Tacoma Mountain Rescue |
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