The Nation - News from May 25, 1987

An avalanche swept two climbers down the side of Mt. Hunter in Denali National Park, Alaska, killing one of them, the National Park Service said. The second man dug himself out of the rubble and spent two days climbing back down the slope for help before reaching another group of climbers Saturday at the 10,000-foot level, Park Service spokeswoman Nancy Stromsem said. Those climbers had a radio and contacted the park service. Ben Benson and Frank Jenkins were near the 14,573-foot summit of Mt. Hunter when the avalanche occurred Thursday, she said. “Jenkins was partially buried but not injured,” Stromsem said. “He spent about an hour and a half digging himself out, and located Benson.”