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Search on for 2 missing climbers on Mount Hood
by Neka Sehgal - December 13, 2009 - comments
Rescue teams have found the body of one climber on Mount Hood, while the search is on for the remaining two after the group failed to return on Friday afternoon.
Oregon, December 13 -- Battling nasty weather conditions, the salvage teams combing Mount Hood for three missing mountaineers recovered the body of one of the climbers after a day long search, but the other two are still untraced.
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office disclosed that the body of 26-year old Luke T. Gullberg of Demoines, Wash., was discovered at approximately 10:00 a.m. on the Reid Glacier, at about the 9,000 foot level.
The other two members of the group included 24-year-old Anthony Vietti of Longview, Wash., and 29-year-old Katti Nolan of Portland. The trio, were experienced trekkers well-equipped for the climb.
The climbers’ tale
The climbers had left Timberline Lodge to start their ascent on the west side of the 11,249-foot mountain early Friday morning. They were due to return later in the day at about 2 p.m.
Det. Jim Strovink, Sheriff's Office Spokesman stated, "These three climbers did complete the climbing register at the Lodge prior to their departure at 1:00 a.m. Friday morning. This is not an unusual hour to depart for the intended climb this party was conducting on Mount Hood."
However, when they failed to return, the family asked for assistance. Unfortunately, the three gave no beacons that would give some indication about their whereabouts.
The glacier is treacherous, fraught with hazard for climbers. Additionally, the weather conditions were cold and icy with the possibility of snow.
Although the cell phone of one of the climbers had been activated on Friday at 1:30 a.m., there had been no communication with the group.
Search operation organized
Around 30 volunteers of Portland Mountain Rescue are involved in the search in adverse conditions and failing visibility. The focus of the hunt is the region where the body of Luke was discovered on the western side of Mount Hood.
Since the search was hampered by bad weather, low visibility, and rough tracks, the crew are preparing to resume the operation at day break on Sunday morning. They are anticipating better weather conditions, and are hopeful of finding the remaining two climbers alive.
Other climbing tragedies on Mount Hood
Though Mount Hood, the highest peak in Oregon, is quite popular among mountaineers, the mountain has witnessed many tragedies in the last 25 years.
In May 1986, nine people including seven students from Oregon Episcopal School and two adults perished after they dug a snow cave during a snow storm.
In an uncanny similar situation, exactly three years earlier in December 2006, three mountaineers had met their end on Mount Hood when they got caught in a blizzard.