Reuther

The study represents another chapter in a longstanding partnership with tribal communities in Alaska's Tanana Valley, where archaeologists have worked since the 1930s, said study co-author Josh Reuther, an archaeologist with the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

She's known Lanoë, Potter and Reuther since she was a teenager.

But things could have gone terribly wrong, county Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Reuther, who coordinated the rescue, told The Times.

Although visitors might expect winter to be the most dangerous time on the 14,505-foot mountain — the highest peak in the contiguous United States — summer and early fall are actually the busiest times for rescuers, said Reuther.

Since then, the search-and-rescue team has completed about 35 rescue missions, Reuther said.