Looking North from Tatoosh Ridge, Mt. Rainier sits above the clouds in July 2016 as the waning sun dips below the horizon.
A climber died this week while rappelling off a peak in Mount Rainier National Park, officials said.
Stephen Kornbluth, 35 of Seattle, summitted 6,710-foot Dewey Peak with two friends Tuesday after climbing the mountain's west face.
That route is a Class 3 scramble, which requires some technical skill, on the east side of the park about three and a half miles south of Chinook Pass.
Kornbluth's two partners rappelled safely before he started to come down. It's unclear what caused Kornbluth to fall. Rangers are investigating, park spokesman Kevin Bacher said.
Kornbluth's partners immediately called 911 and activated an emergency beacon before descending to where he landed. He was unresponsive when they found him.
Search teams were unable to reach the scene until Wednesday morning due to difficult terrain. They recovered his body with a helicopter.
Kornbluth was a basic alpine climbing student with The Mountaineers branch in Olympia, joining a year ago and completing basic navigation and wilderness first aid courses.
"Stephen has only been a member with us for one year, but in that time he deeply engrained himself in our community, especially with our Olympia climbing group," The Mountaineers wrote on their website.
