From Tragedy to Triumph

From Tragedy to Triumph: Revisiting a grave site atop Mt. Whitney

By Deborah Blossom-Miles

It was February 18^th, 1969 when a Douglas DC-3 with 32 passengers and three crew members left Nevada at 3:50 AM. It was a popular flight known as the “Gamblers Special” which ferried passengers from Burbank California to Barneys Casino near Hawthorne Nevada. Less than two hours later Flight 708 operated by Galaxy Airlines slammed into the east side of Mt. Whitney @ 11,700 feet killing all those on board. Of those killed in this horrific crash was Brian Kelly, father of 48 year old Donald Baldwin and grandfather of 25 year old Tayler Koenig, both of Paso Robles.

Forty three years later Tayler and her father would undertake the most physical and emotional challenge of their lives; climbing to the final resting place of Brian Kelly, a man who neither Tayler nor her father had ever met. In the course of the next three days they would face frightening rain storms, steep life threatening mountainous rock climbs, fear and exhaustion. Neither father nor daughter anticipated how difficult their quest would be, or how much this pilgrimage to honor their family member would change their lives forever.

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Tayler was no stranger to challenges in life. She had lost 70 lbs, become a fashion and fitness model, certified personal trainer, EMT and a marathon runner. So when her father proposed the trip to Mt. Whitney to visit the grave of his father, she enthusiastically agreed to join her Dad on this pilgrimage.

As a marathon runner, Tayler understood how to push through the mental and physical pain of running 26.2 miles in order cross the finish line. How could this challenge be more difficult than completing a marathon, the most difficult task she had ever undertaken? Nothing could have been further from the truth as she was soon to experience.

Three months prior to their climb they began training. Their guide, Taylor Eslick, is an aviation archivist and experienced climber. He had made the climb two times previously, and tried to prepare them by telling them that this would be the most difficult thing they had ever done in their lives.

Day one of their climb they arrived at the initial staging area, the Whitney Portal, gateway to Mt Whitney. With her 50 lb. backpack, Tayler, her Dad, their guide Taylor Eslick and his friend Mark, began their journey.

They weren’t 20 minutes off the beaten path, trekking through heavy brush and already feeling tired, Tayler found her legs bleeding from the climb.

Later, as a terrifying thunderstorm began, Tayler recalls, “The fear of the storm was bone chilling in a way I had never experienced. I now had to fend for myself. Survival was now paramount in my mind and I began to wonder, what have I gotten myself into.

Seeing the lightening strike the mountainside hundreds of feet away was frightening. It was then that I shifted my focus to conjuring up my mountain girl instincts and knew I wouldn’t be as afraid for rest of the trip.

Later that day we began the climb to “the staircase to hell”, aptly named since at 9000 feet the boulder pile is as steep as a staircase. This huge pile of rocks led to the second level of the mountain as you approach the 9000 foot elevation point.We were told by our guides that this might be one of the hardest parts of the climb.”

As Tayler describes, “You had to climb on all fours leaning into the mountain to avoid being pulled over the side by your 50 lb. backpack, should you lose your balance. The air was now getting thinner causing us to rest every 20 feet. At one point our guide slipped sending a 1000lb boulder rolling down the staircase. I fell to one side and so did my Dad. This moment of pain and scrambling in fear let me know that I was no longer in control. I found myself praying.”

As another terrifying thunderstorm approached, the decision was made to settle in for the night, camping in the tree line. This would allow them to rest, relax by a fire and prepare to summit the following day. “This was one of the best nights of my life. I was proud of my Dad and in a day the four of us had become a family; gathering firewood, water and setting up camp. Few words needed to be spoken.”

Day two brought them out of the tree line. Physically and mentally fatigued from the previous day they began their climb to the grave site, traversing slippery granite and house size boulders. “Despite my pain I was inspired by my Dad every step of the way. He had pushed through a two day challenge of oxygen deprivation physical exhaustion not to mention the fear of the unknown.”

At this elevation, snow covers the mountain 10-11 months out of the year. Along with altitude, rust doesn’t pose a problem and the crash site remains much as it did when time stopped for those aboard flight 708 in 1969.

As they approached the site the, first thing they saw was the helicopter blade of the initial rescue attempt to recover the bodies. The helicopter crashed but the crew survived.

Further on they began to view history frozen in time, preserved in snow, ice and altitude; a seat belt; a partial section of a mink coat; a coffee carafe that was used to serve coffee to passengers; a woman’s hair brush: an engine and large portions of the body of the plane. Reports indicate that when the plane hit it slid down the side of the mountain and caught fire. What remains is intact and preserved, giving testimony to the lives lost so long ago.

The climbing party’s initial excitement and exploration of the crash site led later to moments of reflection, as they silently contemplated the of the magnitude of moment . Not only had Tayler and her father’s lives been changed forever by the events that occurred on that snowy winter night in 1969, but also the lives of 34 other families were irreversibly impacted when flight 708 slammed into the side of Mt. Whitney. Neither Tayler nor her Dad had ever met their father and grandfather but they were family, bonded by blood and now brought closer by the death of a man neither had ever met.

A small memorial was left at the grave site as they said their goodbyes and prepared to spend another night on the mountain before beginning their descent to a world that would never quite be the same for Tayler or her Dad.

Exhausted and emotionally drained they dined on soggy food, powdered soup and sterilized water gathered from the rain. At this elevation the effects of oxygen deprivation begin to take their toll on both the body and the brain.

“Still at the summit we slept under the stars. I got into my sleeping bag. I was done. Due to the altitude I was restless and in a somewhat dreamlike state when my Dad woke me saying it was raining. I was so exhausted, I had no idea. Together we crawled into a large crevasse between two enormous boulders. It served as a makeshift cave as we tried to sleep while being dripped on with runoff rain. It was the longest night of my life.”

Just as night fades, each day brings a new beginning and Tayler and her climbing party awoke refreshed and ready to head down the mountain. The descent was much faster than the ascent. Maybe it was the anticipation of a hot shower, a cold beer and civilization. As Tayler remembers, “The whole way down was like snowboarding. A few scary boulder moments but we made it down in good time. I was so proud of all of us. Our guide, Taylor Eslick, was beaming, happy and proud of us. This was his third trip and Mark’s second up the mountain to the site. Without their expertise and encouragement we would not have made it.”

“Only a handful of people have completed this trek. Some have tried and failed. I am so proud of my Dad. We will forever share this bond.”

Life teaches us that if we believe in ourselves we can overcome our fears and doubts to challenge our true potential. The world is limitless and all that holds us back are words like I can‘t. You never know what you can do until you replace “I can’t with thoughts of, why not, let’s give it a try and we will do our best. As Tayler puts it, “Each accomplishment builds on previous ones. We don’t just wake up one day and decide to do something great. However, small moments of greatness lead to larger ones.”

That’s what Tayler and her Dad did. By giving it a try, they now have a new understanding of their limitless potential. We can’t wait to hear what the next chapter of their lives brings.

Deborah Blossom-Miles, ED.M; Teaches her “I Hate to Run Class”; is a marathon runner and Certified Personal Trainer with 28 years in the fitness industry.