Hiker dies in fall at Denali National Park

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Hiker dies in fall at Denali National Park
MATT VOLZ, Associated Press Writer

Tuesday, August 17, 2004


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(08-17) 19:18 PDT ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) --

A 19-year-old summer resort worker died on a hike along a popular Denali
National Park and Preserve trail when she slipped on loose terrain and
fell 45 feet onto the rocks below.

Bethany Pate of Cleveland, Tenn., was attempting to retreat along a
narrow ridge leading to the summit of 4,500-foot Mount Healy when she
lost her footing and fell at about 11:30 p.m. Monday, said park
spokeswoman Kris Fister.

Hiking partner Rosemary Korish of Cashton, Wis., later told park rangers
that she climbed down to Pate and found her semiconscious. Korish called
for another hiker with them, Anthony Cluff, to wait with Pate while she
went for help.

Pate stopped breathing about 30 minutes later, Cluff told the rangers.

A rescue helicopter and an HC-130 plane were dispatched from Anchorage
with emergency personnel and paramedics. The helicopter landed at 4:15
a.m., where paramedics found Pate dead. Her body was flown to the park
airstrip and later sent to a Fairbanks funeral home. Pate's family in
Tennessee was contacted on Tuesday.

Pate, Korish and Cluff worked together at the McKinley Chalet Resorts.
The Denali National Park area is a popular destination for summer
workers who hold jobs in nearby hotels and restaurants during the day
and explore the park after work.

"We all do it," Fister said. "Certainly because of the longer days
people get used to going out for hikes after work. It's very sad."

Pate had been working as a chambermaid at the resort hotel for less than
a month, said Kate Shields, a spokeswoman for Aramark Corp., which runs
McKinley Chalet Resorts.

Pate had just graduated high school and intended to return to Tennessee
after the summer tourist season was over, Shields said.

Her father on Tuesday was trying to arrange transportation to Alaska,
Shields said.

The sun set in Denali National Park just after 10 p.m. Monday, but
Fister said some light should have remained to guide the hikers. Smoky
haze from Alaska Interior fires may have caused problems with
visibility, she said.

The Mount Healy trail, located near the park's visitor center at the
entrance, is a popular day hike. Fister said Pate's was the first
falling fatality on the trail, although some years back a hiker died
from a heart attack while on the trail.

The trail is maintained for just the first two miles, but no part of the
hike requires technical training, Fister said. Close to the summit, the
trail becomes steeper with scree causing hikers to scramble.

Fister said Pate and Korish had gone off the main trail to try to reach
the summit by a narrower path. Pate was trying to retreat around a rock
outcropping in a steep area when she fell, Fister said.

Denali National Park and Preserve encompasses about 6 million acres,
including the 20,320-foot Mount McKinley, and is one of Alaska's top
tourist attractions.