3 Lost on Mount Hood

[SFDukie]

...Mountain locator units are available, but in my 15 years of climbing, I have never met or climbed with anyone using one. In the climbing community, they are called "body locator units" becasue, to my knowledge, they have not been used successfully in a rescue of a climber on a mountain who was still alive. Maybe I need some more education in this matter.

 

 

I'm new here. I certainly don't want to interject myself into a debate about MLUs as I have no Hood experience. However PMR credits MLUs with aiding in at least one rescue:

 

PMRU 1/12/03

The strong storm, which blew in Saturday afternoon, had deposited 1-2 feet of new snow over a sun-melted and rain-glazed base, making the upper mountain a recipe for avalanche. The 4-person PMR team, consisting of Rescue Leader Marty Johnson, Iain Morris, Mike Ochsner and Nick Pope, carefully assessed the snow conditions of the upper mountain and chose a safe route to the Hogsback ridge within Mount Hood's crater.

 

From the Hogsback, the PMR team used the climbers' GPS coordinates and the audible signal of their MLU transmitter to quickly locate the snow cave. The rescuers ascended through the Pearly Gates, near the summit, and West to the subjects' shelter.

 

Fortunately, the 5 stranded climbers were ambulatory and able to descend the standard climbing route with the help of the PMR hasty team. From there, the group carefully navigated the Hogsback Ridge to just East of Crater Rock and the waiting PMR support team. After energizing with some much needed food and liquids, the entire group of 15 people descended the 2,500 vertical feet to the Palmer lift house and a waiting Sno-Cat bound for the safety of Timberline Lodge.

 

 

 

Edited to correct misspelling...

Edited December 17, 2006 by SFDukie

[layton]

If these locater beacons were standard practice, we'd be reading about lost "hikers" on Mount Everything in the paper every day of the week.

[zl27]

Ummm, I didn't post anything unsupportive.

[ryland_moore]

 

 

Shit happens. stay home. watch your fox news. consume.

 

Thanks Mike! We should always remind ourselves that life will pass you by if your are not careful.These climbers are just doing the thing that makes their life worthwhile andn ot watching it past them by.

 

""It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out where the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood. At best, he knows the triumph of high achievement; if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt

[zl27]

What about my post was negative????

[ryland_moore]

Thanks for that info. SFDukie.....

[layton]

don't worry about it. PNW climbers, especially the regulars on this website, are generally extra surly and xenophobic. that's all. we're just afraid that the MAN will now force us to do shit we don't want to do, or make certain activities illegal b/c of the extra attention. As someone pointed out, this is becoming this year's baby jessica, and a new reason for newscasters to wear spiffy new goretex brand coats while braying on like attention starved retarded children reading obvious shit to the masses of gapers, mouth breathers, and slack-jawed yokels.

 

hope they find em tomorrow!

[zl27]

Some video from the C-130 today: http://www.katu.com/news/local/4937871.html?video=pop&t=a

 

[StrugglingAlpinist]

Post deleted by agmorgan

[randita]

Re: Michale Layton

 

"I don't worry about it. PNW climbers, especially the regulars on this website, are generally extra surly and xenophobic. that's all. we're just afraid that the MAN will now force us to do shit we don't want to do, or make certain activities illegal b/c of the extra attention."

 

Last week O'Reilly had a segment where he argued that point with a writer/editor? of Outdoors mag. O'Reilly basically asserted that climbing mountains in winter conditions should be banned. How silly! Made me think of all the other high risk recreational activitie, including just plain old skiing that are high risk and could require extensive rescue operations if something goes wrong.

[Ruedi]

Remember what Oddball said in the move Kelly's Heros? "Don't give me those negative ways".

 

Look these guys did their homework, left several notes, had the right gear. They knew when the weather rolled in that they were spending the night. I'm sure they have studied the history of this mountain. By their posts on this web page and others they knew what could happen if the weather rolled in. So what did they do? left notes, took overnight emergency food, shelter, and water. (snow cave, bivy sacks, fuel all in the note and notes).

 

One more thing: the media keeps mentioning that they stashed their gear. Why would they stash their gear if their route was up and over the mountain. If you were not going to return by the same route why would you stash your gear and have to go back and get it? I think they have everything with them.

 

I'm sending them positive waves and of course praying and asking for god to keep them strong.

[randita]

Re: Ruedi

 

"One more thing: the media keeps mentioning that they stashed their gear. Why would they stash their gear if their route was up and over the mountain. "

 

I think the confusion comes from info in one of the notes they left which said they had extra supplies stashed in their truck or something like that (check around for the exact wording in the note). People have been speculating why they would mention that and suggested that they meant to say that they stashed supplies for their return route down the mountain.

[o_mountaineers]

I had high hopes they would be found Saturday. Shifting those hopes to Sunday. Today's the day.

 

One thought for the rescue crews. I was at the top of Palmer yesterday (Saturday) morning and saw a SAR group disembarking from a cat and suiting up. They had a tremendous amount of gear. I watched one guy struggling to lift his pack off the ground. Way too much stuff.

 

With such huge air and ground support at the ready, initial search teams should be going super light and fast. Send an avant guarde with one task: locate them. But don't take all the gear needed to rescue them. Once you find them, then send in the heavier equipment. Just a thought.

 

Hope the wind is less today.

[Ruedi]

Sorry for my atrocious spelling again. The media homes in on the negative and points that out to create a "story". I would like the facts along with the "story". If the (insert governmental person here) says blah blah blah but I'm worried about if they (stashed their gear) then the media says "It was reported today by the leapfrog county sherrif that the climbers may or may not have stashed their gear..... ". Please mr editor don't cut the facts out and then have a misleading story follow.

 

OK I'm done whining and I promise to say only positive things from hear.

 

What a super job the SAR/Sherrif/Military/???? are doing. I say SAR but there are many groups Crag River Rats, PMR, etc and forgive me if it's not Crag River. Wow. There is even a mention of retired 20 year veteran SAR coming in on this one. We have all connected to these brave men because we know or we are them. Mountaineers and Climbers are very special people because climbing is just like life. We learn to work as a team and rely on your buddie, especially in ice and snow conditions.

 

My hearts out to everyone here and there.

[Didgie]

Today's the day! The Gods are with us, sending everyone on the mountain a clear day! Our combined thoughts will help carry the searchers forward.

[Ice-Ninja]

I've read most post but I haven't seen any info about the regular route.

 

I assume that is where the two climbers would be if they were so close to the summit. that is what I would do, push to the summit and go down the easiest route when it was getting bad. It doesn't seem to make sense that they would descend the harder route.

 

Any thoughts?

 

If this was already brought up I didn't see it. There are a lot of post here.

[Ruedi]

They left a note that said that if they had problems ascending they would return the way they went up. Correct me if I'm remembering wrong. Their main plan was to climb the north face and then over the top and down the south side. I think I saw a report that they found snow shoes in their suburban but I'm not sure. If you don't have snow shoes or skis then you would have to post hole it to move around. This would be very tough in high winds. They need to get to the north face to see where Kelley James is. He is the best clue to where the other guys are. Sorry if I am repeating anything here.

[Carolyn James]

Thanks again for all the encouragements. I read some of your posts to my husband Frank James, Kelly's brother, this morning. He was heartened. We are with you and so awed by your courage and determination. "Thanks" can never say enough!

 

Many are praying that today will truly be the day.

God bless the rescue teams!

Carolyn James

[Ice-Ninja]

Cool thanks.

 

Should I keep playing devil's advocate. At some point it is better to keep pushing to get on the quicker descent. They were very experienced and may have considered that a descent could take a lot longer. Especially if there is less avy danger and more protection from the storm.

 

I don't know Mt. Hood at all so I am talking out my ass a bit.

 

I am just thinking about all this. It is driving me crazy.

[Ruedi]

Thanks for reading. He's in a pickle and probably knows that everyong is searching and that's bugging him. That's good, it keeps him thinking. I hope he stays put because the pros from Dover (Mash) are on the way. They need to summit and go down to him. We the public are with you and you can't believe how many are saying "oh the climbers on TV, thoughts and prayers to the families".

 

We're with you!

[ryland_moore]

Ice Ninja, this is possible that they may have been able to get over to the south side, but the actual descent down the S. side isn't as simple as geting up to the top of the North Face and dropping over the other side. Once up to the high point of the N. Face, depending on which variation of the North Face you took (there are at least five official variations, maybe more)you would still have to head up and SE along asometimes knife-edge ridge to the summit, then head S/ SW down through a narrow area called the Pearly Gates and on down to the Hogsback. There are other variations to get down, but this would be the safest. Since none of these men had been up on Hood before and never ascended or descended the S. Side, it may have been too difficult to descend a route in a whiteout that they had no idea of where is started and coupled with the fact that they said in case of emergency we are going down the Cooper Spur and that they also knew the route as the climbed next to it all day Friday, they may have gone this way. Now that is assuming that the the two climbers who left for help could not see and it was whiteout conditions when they left the snow cave. If the weather was somewhat clear when they left, then they may have descended the south side and are either in a snow cave or headed down into Zig Zag canyon (the natural fall line) while trying to get to Timberline Lodge.

[jfmctlaw]

Sunday, December 17, 2006

 

Searchers hope to reach Mount Hood peak by noon

 

 

The lead team of searchers left for the Mount Hood peak at 6 a.m. and hope to make the top by noon.

 

The first team to head up the mountain is known as the hasty team. Those are searchers who are dispatched to the most likely locations where the lost climbers are holed up. On Saturday, the hasty team reached 10,600 feet - the highest searchers have made it since the search effort began.

 

Dale Atkins, an avalanche expert from Colorado, was on the lead team Saturday and is expected to be on the hasty team today, said Detective Jim Strovink of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

 

Scaling the mountain takes about six to eight hours in ideal conditions. Today’s weather offers climbers a rare window of opportunity. After a tumultuous week of weather, today’s winds will be calm and the sky will be clear.

 

-Noelle Crombie

noellecrombie@news.oregonian.com

 

[jfmctlaw]

9am PT news conference about to go live:

 

http://www.katu.com/

[Ice-Ninja]

Cool, thanks for the breakdown.

 

well, here is to some good news today.

[jfmctlaw]

10 min or so delay announced for conference.