May 24, 1993 - Rafting Fatality at White River
The body of P.K., 28, of Alexandria, Virginia, was recovered from the headwaters of the White River near the toe of Russell Glacier on Saturday, July 3rd. P.K. apparently flipped his small raft shortly after putting in and quickly encountered violent waves and hydraulics. It's believed that his body was held underwater for at least six days, as the area where it was found had been searched many times by dog teams, ground searchers and aircraft, including a military Blackhawk helicopter equipped with infrared radar. Resources were called in from many agencies, including the Alaska Fire Service, Civil Air Patrol, Air Force, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and local air-taxi operators. The incident was managed under the ICS system; district ranger Sean McGuinness was the incident commander.
On June 28th, he was reported to be three days overdue from an ambitious solo backpacking and float trip. He was dropped off by an air taxi at Glacier Creek and planned to hike the Chitistone Canyon, climb over Skolai Pass, cross the Russell Glacier, then float down the White River in a small pack raft. He was last seen on the 22nd and reportedly lost his prescription glasses during a river crossing before then.