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Glacier Melts Reveal Lost Backpack After 63 Years
1 Sep
Summary
- A backpack lost in 1963 on an Austrian glacier has resurfaced.
- Items inside were remarkably preserved after six decades.
- Glacier retreat due to climate change led to the discovery.
In the mountains of western Austria, a backpack that disappeared into a glacier crevasse in 1963 has been returned to its owner, now 86 years old. This remarkable event is directly linked to the visible effects of global warming and melting glaciers.
Alfred Rothfischer, then 23, lost his backpack while crossing the Sulztalferner glacier in 1963. Though he was rescued from the crevasse, his belongings were left behind, frozen in time for 63 years.
Last month, a hiker discovered the backpack on the Sulztalferner glacier. Inside were well-preserved items like an ice axe and camera. Investigators traced the belongings back to Rothfischer, who could not travel to retrieve them due to health issues.
The recovered items were formally handed over to his son. This incident is part of a growing pattern as Alpine glaciers, including the Sulztalferner which has retreated nearly 4,970 feet, increasingly expose items swallowed by ice.
