Solo climber rescued after she was stranded on Canada's Mount Logan
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Martinez, 37, was stranded for almost five days high on Mount Logan after to two earthquake-triggered avalanches isolated her camp. (Courtesy of Camilo Rada)
Natalia Martinez has a good story for her grandkids.
She climbed solo the second highest peak in the world, Canada's Mount Logan, and was left stranded for almost five days after to two earthquake-triggered avalanches isolated her camp at 12,800 feet.
She was rescued late Thursday night via helicopter, to the joy of her family and friends back in her native Argentina and all around the alpinism world.
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"NATALIA IS BACK WITH US SAFE AND SOUND!!!!" read a dispatch on ExpeNews, which had been tracking her expedition since it started on April 22.
"The rescue team was launched around 7:30 pm local time, heading for a successful operation that ended at [10:30 p.m.], with Natalia showing again her beautiful smile at the Icefield Discovery base in Kluane Lake!!! Well done Nati!!!! YOU MADE IT!!!!
FAMED CLIMBER UELI STECK KILLED NEAR MOUNT EVEREST
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Martinez, an accomplished climber who works as a mountain guide and ski instructor, faced temperatures that dropped to minus 4 and winds of up to 85 mph on Mt. Logan.
"She was getting pretty weak over the last couple of days," Tom Bradley, chief pilot from Icefield Discovery Tours who dropped her off last month, told BBC News
He said the strong winds were making it impossible for her to light her stove to cook food or melt snow to drink.
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Martinez, 37, was nine days into her trek of the 19,500-foot mountain when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck.
Her boyfriend Camilo Rada, also an experienced climber, stayed in contact with her throughout the ordeal via phone and text.
Natalia Martinez faced a tough climb on her solo traverse of Mount Logan — and that was before the earthquakes: https://t.co/6Bv1B0YozD pic.twitter.com/lRZ3o1NTXx
— Canadian Geographic (@CanGeo) May 3, 2017
The rescue effort was coordinated by Parks Canada, since the peak is located within the Kluane National Park.
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Craig McKinnon, the park’s resource conservation manager, said over the last five years, Park Canada has done four rescues in the ice fields of Kluane, and three rescues off Mount Logan.
He said an average of 25 climbers try to reach to climb Mount Logan each year.