Hicks realized he’d been venting. “Sorry. I guess I’m a little emotional about this.”
“No worries,” Kins said. “I’d say you have the right.”
Hicks took a moment to gather his composure. “Andrea Strickland and her husband, Graham, took out a wilderness permit to climb Liberty Ridge on May 13, 2017. Liberty Ridge is no picnic. It’s one of the least climbed paths to the summit.”
“How many paths are there?” Kins asked.
“Fifty, at least.”
“And this one is not frequently climbed because it’s difficult or dangerous?” Tracy asked.
“Both. It’s not technically challenging. There are one or two spots where you have to rope up and belay someone, but you’re not climbing ice cliffs.”
“What makes it so difficult?” Tracy said.
“The north face of the mountain—Willis Wall. It can be like a bowling alley, especially the last few years with the warmer weather. As the glacier melts and the snow destabilizes, rocks and boulders tumble down the slope.”
“So not many people on that route,” Kins said.
“No,” Hicks said, “which might be why they chose it.”
“What do you mean?” Tracy asked.
“I checked the permits taken out that weekend, hoping someone might have seen her. No one else took out a permit to climb that route that weekend. They went early in the season for Liberty Ridge, which is limited to a six-week-to-two-month window of opportunity, weather permitting. I remember questioning the husband about why they’d chosen to climb that route so soon in the season.”
“What did he say?” Tracy asked.
“He said they wanted the challenge, that they’d done Disappointment Cleaver and the Emmons Glacier. Those are the two most popular routes. Turns out, only she made the summit on Disappointment Cleaver. He crapped out. Altitude sickness. They didn’t climb Emmons Glacier. He lied. I found that out after the fact.”
“Why would he lie?”
“To get the Liberty Ridge permit. Make it look like they had experience. He talked a big game, I remember that.”
“So they weren’t that experienced?” Tracy said.
“Experience is a broad spectrum. They’d climbed before, but I wouldn’t call either ‘experienced’ and I told them so.”
“I take it they didn’t have a guide?” Kins asked.
“No.” Hicks leaned back. “Twenty-five percent of the fatalities on the mountain each year occur on that route. Guides don’t like it.”
“So what did happen?” Kins asked.
Hicks chuckled but there was no joy in it. “Well, now I’m not so sure.”
“What did the husband say happened?” Tracy asked.
“The husband came down all flustered and exhausted. He said they’d climbed up to Thumb Rock. Hang on.” Hicks opened desk drawers and pulled out a map, unfolding it and turning it to face Tracy and Kins. He leaned over the desk, pencil in hand. “Okay, like I said, they took out a wilderness permit May thirteenth here at the Wilderness Information Center. The Liberty Ridge climb can take anywhere from three to five days. Most do it in three. I know people who have done it in two. The husband said they left the White River Campground and spent the first night at the Glacier Basin Camp.” Hicks scribbled a few pencil lines to indicate the area. “The next day they hiked here, to the Wedge. The route to the left takes you to Camp Schurman over the Emmons Glacier. To the right is the Liberty Ridge route. They crossed Saint Elmo Pass, descended onto the Winthrop Glacier, and made their way to Curtis Ridge and set up camp the second night. He said they awoke at midnight, roped up, and made their way up to Thumb Rock.” Hicks circled the two words on the map.
“They hiked at night?” Kins said.
“You go when it’s cold out to minimize the chances of getting hit by loose rock and because the snow is firmer and easier to climb. That’s about a four-to-five-hour hike from about 8,800 feet to just under 11,000 feet. They set up camp at Thumb Rock the third night.”
“And they were alone?” Tracy asked. “No other climbers up there.”
“No,” Hicks said. “But this is where the husband’s story started to break down, or at least I thought it did.” Hicks stretched his back as if it hurt him. “He says they had a light dinner, drank tea, and went inside their tent at around eight to rest. They planned to get up at one and head for the summit. He said he heard Andrea get up but he didn’t check the time. She told him she was going out to pee and he says he went back to sleep.” Hicks made a face like he wasn’t buying it. “He claims he slept through his alarm, that when he woke it was morning and his wife wasn’t in the tent. When he went outside looking for her, she was nowhere to be found. He made it here to the ranger station at just after five that afternoon and reported her missing.”
“Why didn’t he call? Why did he wait until he got back down?” Kins asked.
“Cell reception is spotty at best on the mountain.”
“What was his demeanor?” Tracy asked.
“Measured,” Hicks said without hesitation.