ckouba Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 Friend is missing: http://www.katu.com/outdoor/story.asp?ID=77850 If anyone sees/knows anything, please advise. Can someone make this stick to the top for a while too? Thanks, Chris the text: KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - Searching resumed Friday for an Oregon man believed to be lost on Mount McLoughlin, but poor weather in Southern Oregon was hurting rescue efforts. "The mountain is obscured by clouds this morning, and we are not able to use aircraft as we were yesterday afternoon," Klamath County Sheriff Tim Evinger said Friday morning. Searchers are particularly eager to survey an area near the summit, which is difficult to reach on foot, Evinger said. John Vincent Zazzara, 54, of Beaverton, went up the mountain Sunday, planning to reach the summit and return that day. Zazzara was expected to be back at work at Intel the next day. After missing work for three days in a row, his employers called a Beaverton woman who sometimes hikes and climbs with him, and she called authorities. Authorities said they think Zazzara was climbing alone, but had ropes and other climbing equipment. "We believe he is an experienced hiker and climber," said Evinger. Two dozen searchers, dogs and a Cessna single-engine plane were on the search, Evinger said. The trek to the apex of the 9,495-foot volcano is one of the most popular hikes in southern Oregon, with 5,000 people a year going up the mountain, according to the Forest Service. It is not considered a difficult or technical climb. Quote
pup_on_the_mountain Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 See post on SummitPost by Ernie from Rogue Valley SAR asking for more info, in particular about an interesting reverse cantilever that is very rare on Mt Mclouglin - here. Quote
catbirdseat Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 Let me get this straight, the missing man told someone before he left that he intended to check out a rock formation that was shaped like a "reverse cantilever"? Quote
Dechristo Posted June 22, 2005 Posted June 22, 2005 What does that mean? I'm trying to visualize a formation "that is very, very rare" that someone would label such. That more of the lever is past the fulcrum and is held in place on the short end by another formation? Quote
Tony_Cruz Posted June 25, 2005 Posted June 25, 2005 Press Release from: Klamath Co. Sheriff's Office MISSING CLIMBER REPORTEDLY FOUND ON MCLOUGHLIN June 24th, 2005 9:44 PM Shortly after 5:00 P.M. Friday evening, Klamath County 9-1-1 received a cellular telephone call from a man near the summit of Mt. McLoughlin. The man, Marek Damm, reported that he had located the body of John V. Zazzara, 54, who has been missing for nearly two weeks. Damm, who is from the Bay, area is a serious climber who knew the victim and has been camped near the summit searching for Zazzara since Wednesday night. Klamath County Sheriff Tim Evinger requested a helicopter to be dispatched to the mountain in an attempt to confirm the report. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters had a helicopter airborne out of the Rogue Valley within minutes of the request. Tonight, the helicopter crew was able to find and mark the map coordinates of the location of the victim as described by Damm. The crew was still unable to spot the victim. Klamath County Sheriff's Search and Rescue along with the Lane County Search and Rescue Mountain Rescue team had a training exercise planned for first thing Saturday morning. At this point, the mission will transition from a training one to a recovery effort after Damm's report is confirmed. Searchers will attempt to extract the victim by land. If the extraction is determined to be physically impractical or excessively dangerous, a request for the Oregon Army Guard Blackhawk helicopter based in Salem will be made at that time. Damm's initial report is that it appears that Zazzara sustained major injuries when he fell on the south slope of the mountain and slid for some distance down a snow and ice field. It is believed that the victim is in between some rocks and has likely been covered with snow during the past search efforts. ### Contact Info: Sheriff Tim Evinger Mobile 541-891-9734 Quote
ckouba Posted June 27, 2005 Author Posted June 27, 2005 John's body was recovered on Saturday. If anyone on the board contributed to or knows someone who contributed to the search efforts, please pass along my thanks. John was a very accomplished climber, climbing on many classic ice routes New England, CO and CA, high altitude stuff in the Andes, stuff here in OR and the N Cascades... it's understandable why he might have expected to make a fast and light solo trip without worrying. I haven't been to Mt McLoughlin, but I've learned that it's not overly technical. I know little of the accident details and it's likely no one ever will. I am not saying that having someone else there would have saved him, but please take his loss as a serious reminder to either climb with a partner or leave plans with a responsible person. It may be the most important thing you ever do. John will be missed. Chris Quote
thelawgoddess Posted June 27, 2005 Posted June 27, 2005 tough. condolences to his friends and family ... Quote
ckouba Posted June 29, 2005 Author Posted June 29, 2005 Hopefully the last word I will post about this: I was waiting for some sort of learning about how John died so that there might be some way for someone to avoid making the same mistake in the future. An autopsy attributed John's death to a massive heart attack. He was very fit and fast on the trail so this news comes as quite a surprise. Please stay healthy and climb safe. Chris Quote
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