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Slider_up
Ice climber
Irvine, CA
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Dec 15, 2006 - 04:37pm PT
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Space suit huh? He he. That's funny.
Yeah in utopia that would be ideal. But it would probably be a little heavy for mountaineering.
. . . .I hate to say it but I think these guys are screwed. It would be really cool if they made it out of this alive and intact.
Still hoping.
JP
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Dec 15, 2006 - 05:39pm PT
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Hopefully they're getting a shot at it today given PDX woke up to blue skies. But that said, it's still very unsettled and a heavy band of hale just cruised through our neighborhood a few minutes ago. Here's a report on last night's front:
[url="http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061215/D8M1F7O00.html" target="new"]1.5 million lose power in Pacific Northwest... [/url]
From looking a the 10-day on weather.com it may be that they'll get their best shot on Sunday...
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gunsmoke
Trad climber
Clackamas, Oregon
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Dec 15, 2006 - 06:32pm PT
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Oregonian newspaper article today about 3 teens who made it 13 days in a snow cave on Hood back in the 70's. But last night's storm has been widely reported by local news as the worst storm in NW Oregon in a decade.
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Wild Bill
climber
Ca
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Dec 15, 2006 - 06:38pm PT
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Note Found From Stranded Mt. Hood Climbers
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_121506ORNmissingclimbersEL.1103b7c1.html#
01:10 PM PST on Friday, December 15, 2006
By FRANK MUNGEAM / KGW.com and Associated Press
COOPER SPUR, Ore. - Three missing climbers left a note at the Hood River Ranger Station, searchers announced at a press conference Friday. Capt. Chris Bernard of the 304th Rescue Squadron showed a note scribbled on pink paper on which the three climbers detailed their planned route, and even listed supplies they were carrying with them, including: "food, fuel, ropes, shovel" and bivvy sack.
"They did all the right things, they took all the right gear," said Capt. Bernard. Bernard said rescuers were especially encouraged that the climbers had a shovel and a bivvy sack, because these were the items critical to building shelter and surviving on the mountain.
"The note is very encouraging," added Frank James, brother of missing climber kellly James. "These are three professionals...this note proves they were well prepared and well organized."
The note is the third piece in a written trail of evidence the climbers left documenting their preparations and plans. Searchers previously found a note in the window of their vehicle at Cooper Spur. The climbers also signed the climbing log at Coud Cap Inn at 6,500 feet as they began their ascent.
Capt. Bernard also announced Friday that a C-130 Hercules aircraft was en route from Reno, Nevada to aid in the search. The plane was expected to arrive around 2 p.m. on Friday. Bernard indicated the C-130 was equipped with both day and night search instruments.
Previous efforts to search the mountain by air have been thwarted by high winds and poor visibility but the C-130, considered the military's "workhorse", is capable of operating even in the harsh conditions that have plagued searchers to date.
Meanwhile, most rescuers had been pulled from the mountain to recuperate and await a break in the weather, according to Capt. Bernard. A small team was riding out the massive storm in a remote mountain lodge overnight, hoping for a weather break Friday that would let them reach a snow cave near the summit that is the last known location for at least one of the three men.
Volunteers have braved blistering winds and blinding snowstorms to no avail since the trio was reported missing on Sunday from what was to be a two-day climb of the rugged north face of the 11,239-foot peak.
Hood River County sheriff's Deputy Chris Guertin, who is coordinating the search, said that under optimum conditions a rescue team might be able to reach the snow cave within four to six hours from the Cloud Cap Inn at the 6,000-foot level.
A cell phone signal from Kelly James, 48, an experienced climber from Dallas, Texas, that faded by Tuesday was the last sign of the men.
On Friday morning, two wives and a sister of the climbers appeared on morning news shows.
"They're not quitters," said James' wife, Karen, as she locked hands in a single grip with climber Brian Hall's sister, Angela, and Michaela Cooke, wife of Jerry "Nikko" Cooke, of New York.
"The most important thing about them is their spirit that they all share, and that they, they know what to do, and they plan so meticulously so that they can carry out the adventures that they have done all over the world," Hall's sister said.
Hall, also of Dallas, and Cooke headed down the mountain Saturday to get help, Kelly James said in a four-minute cell phone call to his family on Sunday from the snow cave. Neither has been seen since.
Thursday brought winds of 80 mph and more snow, and forecasters said conditions likely would worsen, making the summit area inaccessible until perhaps the weekend.
An attempt to use small, unmanned planes carrying cameras that can detect body heat was stymied Thursday when lenses fogged up because of precipitation, but more were sent in by Sno-Cat 9 miles to the inn Thursday afternoon.
The flights reached about 6,500 feet, said John Blitch, leader of the Colorado nonprofit group Aracar, which provided the planes. The planes will be kept outside to acclimatize them for a later attempt, he said.
Anticipating the fierce storm, authorities ordered journalists off the mountain to a lower ranger station.
Two search teams were out on the slopes Thursday. One team made it to a shelter on Cooper Spur at about the 7,500-foot level, according to sheriff's Sgt. Gerry Tiffany.
He said the weather outlook for the search on Friday was "very poor" with extreme avalanche danger. Winds of 100 to 140 mph were expected on the mountain, along with up to 18 inches of snow, followed by a sharp temperature drop, Tiffany said.
But he said the rescue operation expected fresh resources on Friday.
James' brother Frank, of Orlando, Fla., said that when Kelly James made the cell phone call from the snow cave, he did not actually say he was injured.
But Frank James said his brother and Hall had been climbing together for eight years and didn't climb without each other, and that Hall would not have left Kelly James without "a very, very, very good reason."
Guertin said rescue crews are committed to continuing the search at least through Saturday. "Time and weather are the issues now," he said.
Frank James said that after Saturday family members would urge that the search be continued if it could be done safely.
Authorities said a cell phone belonging to Kelly James was on briefly as recently as early Tuesday. But for more than two days the phone has not responded to engineers' signals, sent every five minutes.
But the "ping" recorded Tuesday suggested that James may have turned his cell phone off for a time to conserve battery power, a possibility that brought hope to family members.
Cell technicians say a "ping" located by triangulation from the Sunday call pinpointed the location to within about a quarter of a mile. But rescuers have not been able to get there.
Technicians -- including two from the FBI -- arrived with technology they said could define the location better if other signals from the phone could be detected.
Searchers denied access to the summit area by weather have been searching lower canyons in case Hall and Cooke made it down that far.
James' wife, Karen, said the families remained confident. "These are three of the most phenomenal men you could ever meet. They're smart, they are strong, and they care so deeply for one another," she said Thursday.
She said there have been prayers, tears and laughter among family members gathered in nearby Hood River, along with plans for the news conference they plan when their loved ones walk out.
"My husband proposed to me on Mount Rainier, and we're planning our 50th wedding anniversary there, so I know he is coming off this mountain," she said.
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Tahoe climber
climber
Texas to Tahoe
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Dec 15, 2006 - 07:02pm PT
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Here's hoping these guys make it out okay; chances are decreasing as time goes on.
Best wishes for a safe return.
It does sound like they're pretty well prepared.
And it sounds like the rescue group is doing a great job keeping would be volunteers from inadvertently bungling the search.
-Aaron
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10b4me
Trad climber
California
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Dec 15, 2006 - 07:54pm PT
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I read minus 148 a long time ago. was a gripping tale, but got me inerested in alpine climbing.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Dec 15, 2006 - 09:43pm PT
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Freezing level has dropped to downtown tonight and for the next day or two so rain shouldn't be a problem up on the mountain now. The [url="http://www.intellicast.com/IcastPage/LoadPage.aspx?loc=usa&seg=StormCenter&prodgrp=SevereWeather&product=JetStream&prodnav=none" target="new"]jet stream[/url] has also finally moved way east of us for now and that should help considerably. The [url="http://www.intellicast.com/IcastPage/LoadPage.aspx?loc=usa&seg=LocalWeather&prodgrp=SatelliteImagery&product=PacificLoop&prodnav=none" target="new"]Eastern Pacific sat loop[/url] shows one more small storm front about to move through and then it will be clear for a day or two ahead of what looks to be another big one. So hopefully later tomorrow or on Sunday folks will be able to make it up there.
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GhoulweJ
Trad climber
Sacramento, CA
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Dec 16, 2006 - 12:28pm PT
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Positve vibes! Get down today!
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Majid_S
Mountain climber
Bay Area
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Dec 16, 2006 - 12:38pm PT
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This Saturday morning, I woke up with NPR news talking about 100,000 people have no power in OR and WA and expert climbers are pushing to reach the missing three. what is new , any inside SAR info ?
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cliffhanger
Trad climber
California
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Dec 16, 2006 - 01:48pm PT
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They could last many weeks using this method of melting snow I posted some months ago:
Melt Snow Without Fuel or a Stove: Use Your Breath
Without fuel, dying of thirst high on a snowy mountainside you have one source of heat that is tragically going to waste, your outgoing breath.
Pack a widemouthed quart bottle full of snow. Poke a deep, wide hole in the middle of the snow. Insulate the bottle. Blow down the hole. Keep the snow packed on the sides in as broad a layer as possible. In 50 minutes or so you will have one cup of liquid water. Using continuous processing by keeping the bottle full of snow is most efficient.
Using a foot of 3/4" tubing makes routing the air more convenient. Just shove the tube into the bottom of the snow packed insulated bottle. Blow.
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WBraun
climber
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Dec 16, 2006 - 03:14pm PT
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Thanks Joe. Very helpful as what is happening today.
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JuanDeFuca
Big Wall climber
Stoney Point
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Dec 16, 2006 - 03:44pm PT
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This is turning into a Floyd Collins type affair. CNN had all the families in front of the mic this morning.
I sure hope this has a happy ending.
JDF
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nature
climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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Dec 16, 2006 - 04:35pm PT
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yeah, what lambone said *bump*
this thread must stay in the top ten. I'm sure Joseph will keep us informed as he can.
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Tahoe climber
Trad climber
a dark-green forester out west
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Dec 16, 2006 - 07:35pm PT
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better luck tomorrow - sounds like they didn't find them today.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Dec 16, 2006 - 07:43pm PT
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MOUNT HOOD, Ore. - A hopeful day ended in disappointment when ground crews were forced to descend the mountain once again Saturday.
The six climbing crews could not move as quickly as they would have liked due to reduced visibility on the mountain. High winds picked up the soft snow on the ground, making it difficult for rescuers to cover much ground. Gusts were reported at speeds higher 40 mph.
Climbers were hoping to summit the mountain and descend the north side of the mountain where they believe Kelly James is holed up in a snow cave. Most crews were able to reach the 10,600-foot level before time constraints forced them back down.
The aerial search will continue through the night. The C-130 military plane brought in from Reno, Nev., to help with the search will by flying 24 hours a day. Two crews will work back-to-back 12-hour shifts, only landing briefly to refuel. The C-130 is equipped with heat-sensing technology and can fly in more extreme weather conditions.
The two Blackhawks have been operating between the 9,000-foot and 11,500-foot level and will continue to scan the mountain until it is too dark to safely fly.
Authorities insisted they have no plans to call off the search and remain optimistic that they will find Kelly James, Brian Hall and Jerry "Nikko" Cooke.
Capt. Michael Braibish says, "We will take every opportunity, every chance, whether it's ground or air to get our crews up there."
The ground search will resume 9 a.m. Sunday. Authorities say weather is expected to be as good as or better than it was Saturday.
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JuanDeFuca
Big Wall climber
Stoney Point
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Dec 16, 2006 - 08:29pm PT
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If they do not find them tommorrow it really looks bad.
JDF
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mthoodrescuehope
Social climber
nyc,ny
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Dec 16, 2006 - 08:38pm PT
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Hello All,
I recently began researching this story after reading the headlines on cnn. I am an active internet user and resort to the forums when I want to hear what people are saying.
I have found www.supertopo.com and have read what others think of/are saying about this very sad set of circumstances.
I have a few questions regarding what has been reported in the mainstream media about the events leading up to (or currently) and involved in the rescue of the three individuals on mt. hood
1) a phone call was made from one of the individuals in a hole/from a hole.
 do we know why he/she was seperated from the other two?
do we know what he/she has or doesn't have?
do we know if he/she knew where the other two were going OR if he/she knew if the other two planned to return?
do we know if he/she fell in the hole or sought to find shelter in the hole?
2) the three were seen as having plenty of gear to make the trip.
do we know if they had GPS?
why is GPS not encouraged over cell phone or flare?
3) the condidtions are very severe with respect to avalanche possibilities.
does this mean the possiblities of a helicopter landing/extraction is not feasible?
Opposite what I've reviewed here on supertopo.com, the attitude and comments at equipped.com seem to be a little more dismal/bearish. If you have time please review those posts and reply with what you think here at supertopo.com
http://www.equipped.org/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=survival&Number=80803&page=0&view=expanded&sb=5&o=
Lastly, I have to lend my personal opinion about what I would do if in such a situation. Although I am not trained in rescue/survival I wanted to share with everyone here that it seems to me to make the most sense to "stay with the group" if possible, correct?
My inquiry is, why would anyone choose to leave one man or woman behind in a company of three unless he is trapped? Did the other two choose to simply "move on" as the article stated, perhaps simply because they wanted to make more time/distance? How is this reasoning logical when the very one whom you are leaving has a telephone, unless of course as I said he is trapped, with the phone?
What assumptions are safe to make when evaluating what the three would have/should have/could have done?
I truly am having difficulty understanding the circumstances, or what may have happened.
Please share you comments. Perhaps our talking may help us understand how one might deal with this set of circumstances, if hypothetically on mt hood.
Thanks
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