| Janet Mae Johnson | |
| Birth Date: | 20 November 1936 |
| Birth Place: | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Death Place: | Mount Aconcagua, Argentina |
| Occupation: | mountaineer; educator |
Janet Mae Johnson (1936–1973) was an American mountaineer and a teacher. She was known for making many climbs throughout the world. She died during an expedition on Mount Aconcagua in Argentina in 1973.
Johnson was born on November 20, 1936, and was adopted in Minneapolis by Mae and Victor Johnson. Her adoptive mother was a bookkeeper and her father ran a paper supply company. She never knew who her birth mother was.
Johnson was educated at the University of North Dakota and the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. She went on to attend the University of Colorado, earning a Ph.D. in 1971 in education. She taught in the Denver public schools, and was a school librarian.
Johnson was known as a dedicated mountaineer. She was a member of the American Alpine Club and the Colorado Mountain Club. By the age of 30, Johnson became one of the first 20 women to climb to the summits of Colorado's "fourteeners" – over 50 mountains in Colorado that exceed 14,000 feet. Her expeditions and photographs were often featured in Trail and Timberline magazine. Other expeditions include Iztaccíhuatl, Kilimanjaro, Mount Fuji, Mount Blanc, the Matterhorn, among many other climbs.
Johnson departed from Portland, Oregon with the other nine members of the expedition from the Mazamas Climbing Club on January 19, 1973. She was considered one of the strongest climbers of the team. They arrived at Punta de Vacas and two days later arrived at a base camp located at 14,000 feet. Six days later two members of the party turned back, while another quit climbing but stayed on the mountain. The following day the party made it to a higher camp at 20,000 feet.[1] Several of the remaining climbers fell ill or became disoriented or irrational. The following morning Johnson could not be found. Two years later, on February 9, 1975, her body was found; her broken eyeglasses and a film container were found in her jacket pocket.[2] The experienced Argentine mountaineers who found her body were "disturbed by the circumstances in which they found the body" and concerned of the possibility of foul play. There were three wounds on her head and face and although she was an experienced mountaineer, she was wearing clothing that was not suitable for the weather conditions. Her body was removed from the mountain in 1976, three years after her death. Another account in the Pittsburgh Press states that she was "left to die in the mountains because she couldn't keep up with the team."[3]
A 2023 New York Times account reported that at 21,000 feet the party headed for the summit after leaving most of their gear and possessions at the 20,000 foot campsite. They spent that night on the glacier where they dug a snow cave in which to sleep, however they did not bring their sleeping bags. The following morning a member of the party, John Cooper abandoned the climb and descended downhill alone while Johnson and two others continued towards the summit. Later that day Johnson separated from the other two. After finding her the three roped themselves together and camped another night. The following day the three descended to the camp at 20,000 feet. The next morning Johnson could not be found; her body was recovered two years later. For decades there have been speculations that foul play may have occurred, while other interpretations of the event claim that she died of exposure.
She died in 1973 during an expedition of Aconcagua mountain on the Polish Route.[4] The American Alpine Club stated that she perished from exposure and exhaustion close to the summit. Another member of the climbing party, John Cooper, a NASA engineer, also died during the expedition.[5] Several people, including examiners at the autopsy believe that both Cooper and Johnson were murdered. Johnson was buried in a cemetery for mountaineers at the trail head of Aconcagua mountain.
In 2020 her backpack and a 35mm camera loaded with film was found in the melting glacier; it was labeled with her name and Denver, Colorado address. The film in the camera as well as inside two metal film canisters in her pack was developed and the photographs published in The New York Times.[6]