Body Found on Mt. Hood, 2 Climbers Still Missing

[tonysam]

Source: Associated Press

GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. (AP) -- Rescuers are waiting to begin their search for two missing climbers on Oregon's Mount Hood amid avalanche fears.

Clackamas County Sheriff's Department Detective Jim Strovink says the rescue mission Sunday is on hold because officials are concerned that there could be an avalanche in the higher elevations of the 11,249-foot mountain.

Strovink says officials are waiting for an Oregon National Guard helicopter to arrive, but it was not immediately clear what it would be used for.

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Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/12/13/us/AP-US-Missing-Climbers.html?_r=1

[petronius]

1. Damn, I hope they're OK

If northern OR got as much precip as CA over the past few days, the mountain is going to be a very dangerous place for a while...

[ORDagnabbit]

2. idiots climb when weather is closing in and then my tax dollars go to finding them. Cliimbing

insurance should be mandatory.

[unabelladonna]

6. i hate being a coldhearted bitch....

but were they aware of the weather conditions prior to their oh so important mission?

[jimnasium]

14. Mountain Weather's a bitch...

Weather in the mountains can go from perfect to hell instantly - with very little warning. That's the nature of mountain climbing.

[ZombieHorde]

44. It was just supposed to be a short trip. nt

[pasto76]

10. relax douschebag, Your "tax dollars" are not being used

Portland Mountain Rescue is a fully accreditted VOLUNTEER team with the Mountain Rescue Association (www.mra.org). The National Guard helicopter already has money allocated for training. Expenses for this search will be used from those training funds.

these dedicated volunteers are going into harms way today to try and rescue the remaining two, or at least recover the bodies, so that their families can have closure. Good luck brothers!

SGT PASTO

[stevedeshazer]

12. What you said

And best wishes to the volunteers leading this effort. I hope the climbers are found in time.

[tabasco]

21. Well said, Sergeant.

Thanks.

[ORDagnabbit]

32. sorry charlie but you're wrong... the sheriffs office is in on it and they arent volunteers.

I live in pdx and follow these things every year.

[psychopomp]

51. Who goes mountain climbing in Oregon in DECEMBER?

The risks are obvious. Pretty stupid, if you ask me.

[devilgrrl]

18. Yeah, I hate it when my tax funded fire departments are used for rescuing people - such a waste!

:sarcasm:

[BrightKnight]

70. The Coast Guard is a waste. People with coastal cruisers deserve to die.

If they don't have a working EPERB they should be shot.

Also, trauma centers are expensive and should be closed. We all know what kind of people use trauma centers.

:sarcasm:

[Garam_Masala]

30. My sentiments exactly! Mt Hood is only 80 miles from my house so

it is costing me tax money to rescue these idiots.

I do hope the missing ones are rescued though.

[devilgrrl]

36. Your head must explode when fire fighters save people and buildings in bad neighorhoods

Why waste the money on them!

:sarcasm:

[Garam_Masala]

38. You are not smart enough to see the difference

A fire is an ACCIDENT, not the fault of people trapped in a house fire.

These idiots climbing Mt Hood in winter conditions DID THAT ADVENTURE
ON THEIR OWN!

Do you see the difference? Or are you really not smart enough?

[devilgrrl]

39. How many climbers get lost on Mt. Hood a year? What? 2? 5? 10 at the most.

Puh-leeze!

[Garam_Masala]

42. Let them get lost at their own expense...

Why do I have to foot the bill for their stupid "adventures"?
And this current rescue effort at Mt Hood is not cheap. There are
lots of helicopters and bi-wing planes and snow mobiles etc
involved not to mention the rescuers putting their own lives
in danger. I know that mountain, have skied there often enough.

It's the same bullshit with rock climbers, people sailing out in small boats
when storm warning advisories are clearly issued and other adventurers.

I have nothing against helping people in distress due to fury of nature such as
Katrina. I just don't want to subsidize stupid adventures.

[devilgrrl]

49. Yes, I'm sure wilderness rescues are just busting budgets nationwide

:eyes:

[Garam_Masala]

50. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step

Chinese Proverb

[depakid]

55. The first step might be to read the posts here on DU

followed by another step which might be to have a look at what really happens with mountain rescues.

Might help you think accurately about things- and not only on Mt. Hood- but in other beautiful places where you may presently be too fearful to travel.

[Garam_Masala]

65. Naw I will stick to the beauty, camaraderie, exercise & fun

of a well maintained golf course. And no need to call the rescue squad!

[NashVegas]

62. Notice to Alcoholics and Cigarette Smokers: No More 911 Service For You!

[ZombieHorde]

45. The girl who is missing has dedicated her life to saving others.

She is a good person, many many people are better off now because of her.

[ZombieHorde]

43. I know the girl who is missing. She is my wife's childhood friend.

She has worked in several countries helping women leave the sex trade.

My wife has been crying reading comments like yours. I wonder how her parents feel when they read comments like yours. I wonder if you care about their feelings.

[WriteDown]

58. Nonsense, she deserves to die....

Or at least that is what the majority of posters think. Absolutely nuts.

I hope she's a cold, but okay.

[LanternWaste]

69. When and if a

"cliimbing (sic) insurance should be mandatory...."

When and if a Rudeness and Incivility Tax is made mandatory, I'll take yours too.

[tonysam]

3. They never found those two climbers who were lost up there

three years ago after the third person's body was found.

[windbreeze]

4. IF I were one of the searchers...I think I would NOT want helicopter

blade repercussions going through the air, IF I were worried about avalanches...but that's just me...Hood and Rainier....two very dangerous mountains....wb

[tonysam]

5. More here

GOVERNMENT CAMP – A helicopter search will soon be getting underway to help find two missing climbers on Mount Hood.

Rescuers did not head out on foot Sunday because of avalanche danger. Portland Mountain Rescue and Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office officials made the decision for safety reasons late Saturday night.

“Nobody is going to want to tromp around in that snow,” Steve Rollins, a Portland Mountain Rescue leader, said this morning.

Searchers recovered the body of Luke T. Gullberg of Des Moines, Wash., at about 10 a.m. Saturday on Reid Glacier. The other missing climbers have been identified as Kattie Nolan, 29, of Southeast Portland and Anthony Vietti, 24, of Longview, Wash.

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[proud2BlibKansan]

7. There are surely easier ways to get a Christmas tree

Don't they sell them all over town in that part of America?

[EFerrari]

8. Do people climb at this time of year because they have time off or something?

:(

[jobendorfer]

17. some routes are only in condition in the winter

Mt Hood, like most of the cascades volcanoes, is essentially a large pile of loose igneous rock held together by snow and ice.
You don't climb rock on Mt Hood, it's terrible.
You navigate up steep snow or ice, doing your best to avoid hazards ( which vary from week to week and season to season ).
Some of the routes, particularly those on the north side, are only climb-able in the winter, when well-frozen.

For all that, it's not unusual for a hundred thousand people to summit Mt. Hood in a given year.
It gets a LOT of traffic.

We've had a very cold, dry front parked over the state for the last week, and I'd reckon the climbing *was* pretty good, if very cold,
up there. Given cold temperatures, reasonably consolidated snow, and a window of decent weather, Mt. Hood can be climbed safely
even at this time of year -- many people have done it. But boy, you sure want to be checking conditions every few minutes,
looking for "red lights" that say, it's time to turn around and go down. You want to choose routes that leave you a line of
retreat. And you'd better be well-prepared, and ready to dig in if the weather turns on you.

Hopefully the two climbers still missing are hunkered down in a snow cave and riding this out.

J.

[depakid]

20. Looks like they were ascending Reid headwall

and probably would have come down the hogback.

Conditions earlier last week would have been excellent. Guess they thought that it would be a quick climb and they could beat the weather. Then again, there's a lot of icefall on that route.


A military helicopter heads to a search area on the other side of the formation pictured, Hawkin's Cliff. Rescue crews opted for the chopper search when the threat of an avalanche made ground searches unsafe.
------------

[kestrel91316]

9. I don't understand why some climbers don't pay closer attention to the weather report.

And yes, I have quite a bit of mountaineering experience myself.

[Generator]

19. That's what I want to know especially since

we have had two weeks of brilliant sunny weather (and damn rare this time of year!) but bitterly cold. I don't know if that is necessary to climb in (isn't clear the best?) but FRIDAY was the day they picked with a storm predicted all week on every source available. Yes, the were going to be done before the storm was due-but only by a few hours.

[pasto76]

11. Portland Mountain Rescue

http://www.pmru.org/aboutpmr/faqs.html

www.mra.org

[oregonjen]

13. Why didn't they rent a locater device for $5?

Something I don't understand. :shrug:

[NashVegas]

63. Or Spend the Money for a Good Jacket?

More and more shells (even my PFD for kayaking) have sewn-in RF reflectors made to work with some sort of frequency waves.

[BrightKnight]

71. It might save lives but passive RF reflectors / tags are not in civilian gear.

A passive system like that would be a really good idea and it would probably save lives. The military uses something like that to avoid friendly fire. Also, boats and ships use radar reflectors to assure that they are visible.

I buy the best gear that I can find and none of the major manufacturers are offering anything like that. I spent $700 for a PLB and I would be more than happy to carry passive device if it were light and effective.

Inland SAR groups are only going to invest in detection equipment if a lot of people are using it.

[Brother Buzz]

15. Off topic but my cousin was lost on Mt Hood six years ago.

His body has never been found. These yearly tragedies raises his family's hopes that his body might be found while searching for others.

[laylah]

16. I am so sorry

for your loss :hug: I hope the current two hikers are found safe and sound; however, having lived in mountain country for 30 years, it is highly unlikely. My condolences to the families of all.

[Th1onein]

23. I'm so sorry.

That's so sad. There are a lot of bodies up there, from what I've read.

[Trajan]

25. Actually right on topic ....

Sorry for your loss ....

[Th1onein]

22. I'm supposed to drive through there tomorrow around noon.

I'm concerned about the drive. I'm not used to driving on these kinds of roads.

[Trajan]

24. I reluctantly drove 26 and 20\22 in winter conditions ....

And it get's fucking scary at times .... White out ... icy .... with thick snow swirling onto the car from above and below ....

I hated that drive ..... be EXTRA careful, especially from Zig Zag and past Blue Box ....

[Trocadero]

26. Must have tire chains. Stop at Les Schwab. I'd skip the trip if you can.

Sometimes an easier route is to take 84 all the way to the Dalles and then turn south. But then you've got Maupin which always scares me a little bit.

[Th1onein]

52. You have to have them in your car, not necessarily on it.

I made the trip. Was wet and messy, but no ice. Still, I was scared the entire way.

[boppers]

27. I drive it once a week (PDX->Bend, over Hood)

Chains are a must, as is taking it slow, and not slamming on the brakes. Oh, and those warning signs about speed on curves? They're serious. You should also check http://www.tripcheck.com/ to take a look at cameras and conditions... right now, it looks like there's snow storms until Tuesday.

As another poster said, put it off if you can. If you can't, take chains, a few days of food/water, and some emergency blankets, and lots of warm clothes, because you may get stranded for a bit.

[Trocadero]

31. never, never leave your car and go wandering around in the woods

hoping you can find your way to a house or to some other form of shelter. Have provisions to stay in your car.

I checked into this once - Amazon has a ton of equipment, from ultra-insulating blankets to all sorts of safety lights. Possibly REI may have some of this as well.

Practice with your chains. Off and on. Once I took a chain off improperly and got it wrapped around my rear axle. Bad. Almost got frostbite trying to get it off.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. Once several students and two teachers from Oregon Episcopal School died on Mt. Hood

When a blizzard closed in, the guide and one student hiked out to get help, and the rest dug a snow cave and piled in. They did not have a locator device, and the snow cave was hard to find. Only the two students at the bottom of the pile survived, although with terrible frostbite injuries.

This happened in May, 1986.

The mountain is extremely treacherous, and personally, I'll just view it from Timberline Lodge, thank you.

[superconnected]

29. yeah, December, nice month to pick for mountian climbing in the NW.

Sad about the climbers.

[NoodleyAppendage]

33. No sympathy. If you live like you are seeking the Darwin Award, then no crying when you get it.

Mountain climbing poses inherently higher risk of death or injury than say more pedestrian activities. No one was forcing these folks to climb the mountain during the winter season (another additional and significant risk).

If you tempt fate or death, then don't be surprised when you're prey to it.

J

[depakid]

35. Certain routes are far safer during winter

The signs here point to an accident of some sort. My Hood is the second most climbed mountain in the world after Mt. Fugi. It's actually impressive, considering the numbers, that more people don't end up as statistics.

That said, if you have a problem during winter- and aren't prepared (or even if you are) there's a fair chance you won't be found until spring meltoff, if at all.

[tabasco]

40. Your kind will evolve into cowardly sloths. n/t

[NoodleyAppendage]

41. My kind will live on to evolve...that's the point! n/t

J

[tabasco]

56. Others, despite the losses, will evolve.

We shall use you for food.

[ZombieHorde]

46. If you knew her you would feel differently.

Many many people are better off because of her direct actions and personal involvements. Her specialty was helping prostitutes find other ways to feed their kids.

[NoodleyAppendage]

47. That's great. And, if she didn't go up on a mountain in winter those charitable works would con't.

I wonder how many more people may have been helped if she had decided not to go hiking on a mountain in winter?

J

[ZombieHorde]

48. I don't know if you have, but please don't post comment like these on the news articles.

Her friends and family have been reading them and crying, wondering how people can be so callous.

I don't think any of them are on DU, so I doubt they have read your comments. My wife has been crying for days now.

Please.

[WriteDown]

61. You don't think any are on DU?

You need to re-read this thread.

[ZombieHorde]

66. I reread all ofthe posts and I did not notice any one mentioning a connection to these three people.

Perhaps I just over looked it.

I have met Katie, my wife and Katie and been friends since they were kids.

[WriteDown]

67. I just meant the general....

"She deserves it" attitude.

[ZombieHorde]

68. Oh OK, we were talking about two different things.

Yes, there are many "she deserves it" people here.

[WriteDown]

60. If she died in a mudslide in the summer, then it would be okay

though? People skydive too. Not me, but I'm fine with them doing it.

[Gormy Cuss]

64. If that's the most empathetic reply you can muster when addressing a poster with a personal

connection to one of the missing, please keep your callous comments to yourself.

[WriteDown]

59. We should all just sit at home and be glued to the television...

No harm will come to us then! :eyes:

[jaksavage]

34. I have a Mt Hood view

and weather always develops on the top of the peak 24 hrs preceding a front.
Nobody in their right mind should start a climb the day before a front is forcast.
I wish they could close the mountain to climbers during emminent inclement weather.
We close roads, including I-84. Too dangerous.

[depakid]

37. Update: Dead climber fell, then died of hypothermia

Gullberg died of hypothermia, said Dr. Chris Young of the state medical examiner's office.

Young said his post-mortem showed what the search team who found him surmised: Gullberg survived "a long, slow" fall and then was able to walk and crawl several hundred yards before expiring.

Hypothermia is an abnormally low body temperature that leads to confusion and lethargy. If untreated it can lead to death.

"He had minor trauma, but nothing lethal," Young said.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/post_76.html

Hypothermia probably preceded and contributed to the fall.

[devilgrrl]

53. Wow! Lot of LIBERTARIAN responses here! Ayn Rand would be proud! What planet is this?

It's Planet "YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN!!!!"

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

:puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke:

[depakid]

54. "It's Planet "YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN!"

While we can (mostly) all understand the sentiments- there are places- many more than this, where in fact on a usual day you'd be in line of sight to excellent food, a comfortable room & fine coffee.

This is just one of them:

[tonysam]

57. The latest

The massive search effort to locate a pair of stranded climbers high on Mount Hood stretches into its fourth day today with no sign or clue of the young man and woman.

Volunteer searchers are convening about 7 a.m. for their first meeting of the day. They are expected to review the weather forecast for the mountain and decide whether to dispatch search and rescue crews up the mountain to find Katie Nolan, 29, of Southeast Portland; and Anthony Vietti, 25, of Longview, Wash., who headed toward the summit early Friday morning and were never seen again.

Unlike the past three days, when the Black Iron Grill in the Wy’East Day Lodge was filled with mountain rescuers, this morning it is empty. Outside a steady snow continues to fall at Timberline Lodge. The lack of activity marks a significant change from the past few days.

Officials with Portland Mountain Rescue and the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office are expected to make an announcement at 10 a.m. about future search efforts.

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