JERRY_SANCHEZ Posted March 28, 2001 Share Posted March 28, 2001 SNOWY SEARCH: From a rescue truck stationed at 2,800 feet on Glacier Creek Road, Vonda Polinkus (center) of Bellingham Mountain Rescue keeps in radio contact with volunteers searching for two Whatcom County men who failed to return from a weekend climbing trip. Jay DeGroot (left) and Marv Stremler of the Whatcom County Snowmobile Club joined the search Tuesday in whiteout conditions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SEARCH: Rescue was hampered Tuesday by high winds and whiteout conditions. Paula Clawson, The Bellingham Herald GLACIER -- Two Whatcom County men who failed to return from a Mount Baker climbing trip Sunday are still missing after searchers spent all day Tuesday hiking and snowmobiling through fresh mountain snow. Farin Hess, 24, of the Everson area and John Roffler, 28, of Bellingham were expected back Sunday night, and a family member reported them missing about 7 p.m. Monday, said Deputy Scott Huso, search-and-rescue coordinator for the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office. Hess' parents said both men are experienced hikers and climbers and had proper gear for the climb. They reportedly have climbing equipment, including ice axes, snowshoes, sleeping bags and waterproof sacks, Huso said. The men signed a climber's log at the Mount Baker National Forest ranger station in Glacier and wrote that they were going to start from a trailhead on Glacier Creek Road about 6Þ miles off Mount Baker Highway. Huso found their truck parked at the trailhead late Monday night but decided not to start the search until daybreak Tuesday. "When I went up to find the truck I got stuck in the snow," he said. "The conditions were not real good, especially for going in at night." Five volunteers from Whatcom County Snowmobile Club and five volunteers from Bellingham Mountain Rescue began a search at dawn Tuesday. The sky was relatively clear in the morning and a Whidbey Island Naval Air Station helicopter flew over the area for a couple of hours. But gathering clouds forced the helicopter out of the sky by about 11 a.m. By about 1 p.m., the snowmobilers left the search because of high winds and whiteout conditions. Three Bellingham Mountain Rescue searchers on snowshoes stayed on the slopes until about 3 p.m. More volunteers were willing to join the search, but they were not used because of the weather and concern about potential avalanches, Huso said.Ground and air searches will continue today if weather permits, he said. On the chance that the two men had gone far afield from what appeared to be their intended route, the snowmobilers checked along Porter Creek off Mosquito Lake Road late Tuesday afternoon. Snowmobilers also checked Schrieber's Meadow in south Whatcom County. "I hope if it were me, or my wife or kids, someone would be looking for us," said snowmobile volunteer Marv Stremler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeadam Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 An interview I saw yesterday with one of the guys mother's said that he had been climbing a year and a half. Is 1.5 years considered an experienced mountaineer these days? Mike http://alpinelite.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrosaurus Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 Yes. The media ALWAYS gets multiple aspects of this type of situation wrong. And I'm sure that the guy's mom considers him "experienced." That's what I used to tell my mom. It's her opinion, of course, that is really being reported. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfort Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 for what it's worth, in one of the articles I read on the king5 website, has one of the guys' moms (Nancy Hess) saying "He does not have a lot of food, he did not take his big pack, they're both not experienced... A year and a half is just not much experience for mountain climbing" So maybe the reporters just reported it wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_e Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 Experienced or not, they have been out six days now and must be hurting or, well you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 its ok ray - I actually know who you are...I am sure that we can arrange a time for you to thump me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayborbon Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 Good for you mr Hide behind the scenes. Pretty sure I know who you are too... [This message has been edited by rayborbon (edited 03-29-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 I hope for those two to come out unscathed however as the time passes it doesn't look good. I do get fed up with people getting in these situations. 1 or 2 years...not long, and to go up in such a lousy forecast. Just asking for it I would think. Hope they return soon. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 I have been climbing in the cascades for the last 30 years and every year more and more yahoos are going up there with no training and poor skills - do I want to stop them? no. do I tell rescue workers that they shouldnt rescue them? no. so dont get all worked up on me because I observe the inevitable when people get hurt. if you dont like my language, fine, go cry a river into alder lake, its below average depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayborbon Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 Ok Mr Superior, whatever. Just think how you feel if you need help..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 p.s. ray, I would destroy your 160 lbs of dress wearing bravado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayborbon Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 Are we not talking some fibs up there too ...... [This message has been edited by rayborbon (edited 03-29-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 whatever ray - either you are a 18 year old on spring break or a twentysomething from the midwest, either way, you dont know jack. go back to milwaukee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayborbon Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 Cheers, Mr Who Cares. I know the deal... See you around (I know I will). -Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeadam Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 Sigh....1st Alex K. gets thrashed for simply trying to be helpful, then the whole Baltimore thing, and now this. This really needs to stop people. I apologize to all readers if somehow my post regarding the missing climbers on Mt Baker was misconstrued as an egotistical statement. The intention was not to sound like I had the answers in my pocket. Unfortunately, it was sort of done in haste before I headed out for the morning, but I intended for it to spark a discussion of value. I made the comment because the media portayed the climbers as experienced. I was taken back when I saw the interview with the one person's mom, who like Phil mentioned, described her son as "Not very experienced". I was really stunned that 2 people with a minimal amount of experience would head out on Baker this early in the spring. I consider Baker during the winter and this early in the season to be a serious mountaineering objective. ANY route on ANY mountain can become serious when the chips, like bad weather, start to fall askew. After a year and a half of climbing I wasn't even really thinking about going into the mountains with conditions like these. I feel fortunate that all the learning experiences (negative ones) I've had were never "as bad as it could be". In short they were not fatal experiences, just brushes. I assume that EVERY climber has had these experiences and walks away sort of humbled and thankful. Then you kind of wrestle with it and either continue to move forward, or step aside, and let the climbing thing pass you by. I have quit climbing about 3 times in the last 7 years. If you look through the threads you'll find a climber right now seeking mentorship. Maybe if these guys had a mentor they might not be in the situation they are in right now. I feel terrible for the guys mothers and for them (the men in question) also. If I thought there was something-anything I could do I would be up there right now, but I know I would just be in the way with all the professionals that are on the job right now. The important thing here is that we realize that two young men may have lost their lives (we don't know yet) because they chased their passion without having all their ducks in a row. True, people have choices and can make any decision at any time, but we can still be compassionate to them as human beings when they take a wrong turn. It took me a long time to figure this out as I pretty much had the same attitude as Mr Who Cares throughout my military career. I think John Bachar, a noted California soloist, has a very similar attitude as Mr Who Cares. I respect his climbing. I do not respect his attitude towards other people's lives. I cannot impress enough that I felt this thread should not go unnoticed through yesterday's barrage. I should have given more thought to my original post. My thoughts are with those climbers, their families and the rescuers searching for them right now. I pray for the best outcome. Mike Adamson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayborbon Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 Well said brah! Who Cares = Jim Yoder? -Ray [This message has been edited by rayborbon (edited 03-29-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_e Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 Granted I won't lose any sleep if these guys don't make it back alive, but it's not that I don't care or that I am a cold hearted person. We all make a choice as climbers to risk our lives everytime we go out, it could happen to any of us at anytime, anywhere. Hell, I was close to being stung to death by killer bees recently, this shows that you never know how or when your time is up. As far as experience goes, that's a tough call. Maybe they don't work and been climbing solid for one year? How do we know? You could do more climbs in one year and gain more experience that a weekend climber might in five years. I was told that I was crazy wanting to climb Denali after having never been higher that 6288', but I felt that I was ready. Fact is people die everyday and there is not much we can do about it, but I think when we make light of it or have the "I don't care" attitude it's because deep down we are worried that it might be us someday, regardless of our experience, be it one year or thirty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 all you guys need to quit whining, you dont really care about those 2 guys - if you did - you'd be up at baker right now looking for them and not sitting on your fat duffs writing about how I have a bad attitude. you can lament those two fools' situation all you want and tell me how it just taps into your latent fear of dying, but those 2 guys are still up there freezing their asses off in some tree well - so I dont want to hear it from you all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 It is sad that two immature people would use this forum in order vent their personal frustration towards each other. Newbies or not these poor guys are climbers and we need to support them. All climbers make bad decisions sometimes, don't say you haven't. You were just lucky enough to get out alive. This is a serious situation, not an excuse to spray more bullshit about how long you have ben climbing and how bad ass you are. People like me come to this site to find out whats going on in the climbing community, and you are wasting our time. Good Luck to the Rescue team. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whillans Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 om....om...om...calm....calm.... [This message has been edited by whillans (edited 03-29-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 shuuuuut up matt! geez, I am wasting your time?! if your time was so damn valuable why did you spend all that time reading this puerile thread??? I see you mouth moving but nothing's coming out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 hey whillans yawn...zzz - you're puttin me to sleep... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whillans Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 That's old age creeeeeeeping up on you ya old fart...the abyss is yawning for you.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapertimmy Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 closed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 30, 2001 Share Posted March 30, 2001 who cares - its just mother nature taking care of business Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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