A father and daughter who went missing while trying to climb Katahdin on Sunday and were later found dead near the summit likely encountered rain, snow, heavy winds and sub-freezing wind chill temperatures, according to accounts from hikers and satellite and forecast data.
The National Weather Service forecast for Sunday, when Tim Keiderling, 58, and his daughter Esther Keiderling, 28, set out to climb the 5,269-foot peak in Baxter State Park, indicated the summit would be “in and out of clouds” in the late morning, then “obscured.”
The pair were described by family as experienced hikers, but while much of the state was experiencing mild weather, the summit of Katahdin was forecast to be “very windy” — 30 to 40 mph — with intermittent rain showers, temperatures steady in the mid 30s and wind chills around 19 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Those conditions were forecast to continue through the night with the winds decreasing only slightly.
Baxter State Park Director Kevin Adam said the conditions on Sunday would have been “freezing rain, fog, and some snow.”
Tim Keiderling was found dead Tuesday afternoon by a Maine Warden Service K9 search team on the Tablelands region near the summit of Katahdin. Esther Keiderling was found dead around 1 p.m. Wednesday in a wooded area off the Tablelands between two known trails.
A hiker who climbed to the summit on Monday told WMTW the conditions were some of the worst he had ever seen. His photos show the famous sign at the summit encrusted in wind-blown ice.
Satellite images of Katahdin taken Wednesday show the mountain covered in snow.
BDN writer Marie Weidmayer contributed reporting.
