FiveFingeredJack

I am a "former" climber that hung it up when the kids came along. Also an inactive member of one of the involved mountain rescue organizations. I have never posted here before, but have enjoyed reading the posts to supplement the TV. This is a great gathering place to discuss and contemplate. I think the speculation is healthy, since it will assist us all with problem solving in the field. The fact that the "Y" was initially interpreted as a distress signal shows that the facts are being interpreted by individuals from all sorts of background. A military pilot might have rightly interpreted it as a signal, but a climber would quickly say that is a rope slung around an anchor. The bottomline is no one is wrong but everyone is putting in 100% to solve this and figure out what happened. I noticed earlier that there was a suggestion that the climbers were probably more experienced than the SAR folks. No way. The SAR folks train usually a weekend a month- the required dedication and preparation is amazing. The SAR folks sacrifice many thankless hours and are the best on the Northwest volcanoes. About 8 years ago I knew a very experienced husband/wife that died attempting a North side descent during the typical climbing season. Anyone that has peered over the North side from the summit knows it is serious business - Especially when a decision is made to climb in the winter. Assuming the "Y" was used to descend back down the North side, the taunt rope with equal tightness on all aspects suggests it had considerable weight on it. All three climbers or just one? However, such an anchor would prevent retrieval of the rope after all repel. It is a curious set up when you are still a long way from getting down - Unless they always figured that it would be a "throwaway" rope to be used in a hairy portion of the descent. I am curious what others think. TFJ