55-year-old twins die climbing McKinley

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Twin brothers who likely reached the summit of North America’s highest mountain died in a fall, a Denali National Park and Preserve official said Wednesday.

It is believed that 55-year-old brothers Jerry and Terry Humphrey of Negley, Ohio, reached the Mount McKinley summit and were descending when one of them fell, perhaps falling into the other, said spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin.

The brothers were not roped together, McLaughlin said.

The bodies were found at 17,300 feet, just below Denali Pass. Since 1980, the steep Denali Pass traverse has been the site of six previous deadly falls, McLaughlin said.

The brothers fell approximately 1,000 feet.

“They probably fell from the very top of the traverse,” she said.

Jerry Humphrey’s son, Jeremy, 25, was on a solo climb on McKinley when the accident occurred. He told park rangers he spoke to the pair at about 10 p.m. Tuesday while they were descending from the summit. They were at about 18,600 feet when he last talked to them. Denali Pass, where the accident likely occurred, is at approximately 18,000 feet.