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No sleeping bag and no warm insulated jacket? Is this unusual in light of a light and fast climb? They knew they were going to stay overnight at least one night... This explains the quick onset of hypothermia. Perhaps he lost his pack in the accident? Can anyone confirm whether or not kelly was discovered with his pack? Everything they mentioned finding on kelly are items he would have had on him (rather than in his pack) such as a ring, camera, phone... If Brian and Jerry left him to find help, as kelly suggested, wouldn't they have left him with something to keep him warm? Its not like they would expect to use theirs if they expected to hurry and reach the base for help...my point being that maybe he did lose his pack on the climb to the summit, the guys set up for the night and while trying to set up for the descend (below cave 1) (while an incapacitated Kelly was holed up in cave 2), they had another accident or were merely blown off by winds and never came back (explaining why they never left him with their bags and never made any 911 calls themselves), so kelly assumed they had made their descend for help because they never came back. Losing his pack would also explain having his 2 axes, which I assume were in his hands during the climb and subsequent accident (and loss of pack during a fall). I'm thinking of a fall into crevass much like the fall jerry's partner on Rainier had...where he nearly lost his pack...

twocents - it took me a second to realize that you were not referring to dallas-friends' post. In case someone jumps on you, I thought it would be good to point that out in case others misinterpret it.

This reply is unnecessary and disrespectful. Two wrongs do not make a right. Your reply exhibits the exact disrespect so many of the experts here are complaining about. You are a very troubled person to make your last comment in light of the circumstances. May God have mercy on you soul. [note: prior post deleted]

I think some of the speculative scenarios are thought provoking and may even pose some possible options that people may not have considered. However, being speculative, they could be mistaken as fact. Why can't we just create a sub-thread called something like Speculative Thoughts and keep that out of this informative thread? Wouldn't that alleviate some of the negativity in this thread? If you don't approve of the potential theories or "what ifs", then just don't go in that thread. Put a sticky at the top of the forum advising that the thread be used for non_official discussion of the search and rescue. Peace, prayers and hope to the families.

I totally admire this attitude. We should all be like this instead of scared behind our little desks making as much money as we can instead of living the adventures that make life worth living. I think this way of life is what draws alot of people's interest in the Mount Hood Rescue Mission and in these hikers who we don't even know...it's that Brian, Jerry and Kelly all mastered challenges that we all wish we could master or had the courage to. And, by extension, we admire not only the rescuers, but those of you who do this day in and day out. I know there is alot of skepticism here about the newbies like myself, but I really believe many of these newbies are here because they are compassionate about these climbers and feel for them and their families, just as we would be for any of you had the same fate befallen you. I enjoy hiking the mountains here in Arizona, but I've never taken it further because I've never been willing to exceed that sense of fear that comes with pushing yourself to achieve more. I'm also not in as great a shape as I'd like to be in order to push myself to that next level. You all inspire me to go that extra step and challenge myself to do more, to live better, while I still can. Thanks.

I'm sorry that I can't reference the article I saw it in today, but a colleague of "Nikko"'s, a fellow lawyer, mentioned that he didn't know why the media refers to Jerry as Nikko because everyone he knows calls Jerry by "Jerry"...that he's never heard him referred to as Nikko. In addition, his climbing partner on Rainier refers to him always as "Jerry". Perhaps "Nikko" is only a nickname his family uses. (My brother has an affectionate nickname that only we call him by.). No one else knows it.)

To reconfirm Sean's statement about reaching the summit, it's important to note that in the unedited version of today's news conference, when discussing the photos taken by Kelly James' camera, he confirmed that they had all reached the summit...that the photos show this...

Phone call (can also be found in a Dallas paper, found by Google search using "Jason James" "Kelly" and "airplane" as keywords.) http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/nation/16256493.htm

Nobody has even suggested the possibility that Kelly could have been knocked unconscious during whatever incident caused his arm injury. (A crev fall, from which Brian/Jerry self-rescued him?) The Dallas paper reported that on Sunday when he called his family, he was already disoriented (this is less than 2 days in a snow cave...seems kinda early for hypothermia dimensia). When asked where the other guys were, he said that one was in an airplane and the other was in town getting help. Head injury, perhaps? Making his survival even more grim? Would the guys be able to aid him down 300 feet from the summit? Is that even possible? And, if so, perhaps they decided to leave him in the cave because they couldn't get any further with him or his condition would not allow it? Perhaps he was in and out of consciousness while in the cave and on Sunday night he finally came to enough to realize he could call his family? Any specific reports on further injuries besides the severely broken arm?

Sorry, I realized my post should go in the Newbie Section. Deleted.