Hikers who died on Katahdin faced extreme conditions

By Ethan Andrews, Bangor Daily News Staff

A father and daughter who went missing while trying to climb Katahdin on June 1 and were later found dead near the summit likely encountered rain, snow, heavy winds and freezing wind chill temperatures, according to accounts from hikers and satellite and forecast data.

The National Weather Service forecast for June 1, 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 would have been “freezing rain, fog and some snow.” 

Tim Keiderling was found dead June 3 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. June 4 in a boulder area between the Cathedral and Saddle Trails off the Tablelands, roughly 1,000 feet from where her father was found, Adam said.

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 show the mountain covered in snow.

BDN writer Marie Weidmayer contributed reporting.