Rescue on Mt. Hood, again.

They took a lab retriever with them up Hood? I'll bet he's having a blast.
 
Tough mountian, or bad decisions? With all the press Mt. Hood is getting lately, I would expect an influx of climbers, and more rescue stories.
 
I guess I'm dumb, or lame, or just ignorant. Maybe you guys could help with this. (My wife doesn't think you can. Hehe.)

Don't rock climbers need to be bare handed? I've never seen anyone practice in gloves. Would heavy gear not preclude a rock climbing expedition? What about footwear? The rock climbers I've seen use specialty shoes that certainly don't look warm. I don't get this trip.

I bet the dog saved their lives. I bet he's the smartest one in the party.
 
What a stupid time of the year to climb, they are getting what they deserve. Hand them the bill for the rescue too.
 
Well at least one of this group was smart enough to bring a PLB. I am not rushing to judge their actions as i have no idea of their skill level or if this is a normal time to climb mount hood. what i can say is they seem to be doing things correctly as far as the rescue, they have a plb and a cell phone and are listening to instructions from rescuers.
 
Fiddleback said:
Don't rock climbers need to be bare handed? I've never seen anyone practice in gloves. Would heavy gear not preclude a rock climbing expedition? What about footwear? The rock climbers I've seen use specialty shoes that certainly don't look warm. I don't get this trip.
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I'm guessing they were 'mountaineering,' and not 'rock climbing.' When I think of rock climbing, yes, I think of fair-weather grappeling with bare hands and special shoes. Mountaineering is simialr to rock climbing, but the routes tend to have less shear vertical to them. The technical aspects of rock climbing still apply to mountaineering, but the environment is somewhat different. When I think of rock climbing, I think more of conquering smaller/shorter routes and pitches rather than going from the bottom to the top of a mountain. When I think of mountaineering, I think of Everest or big mountain climbing, where the goal is to get to the top. I dunno, I could be way off base here. When I did do rock climbing, we always slelected particular short routes. There was no summit to be reached where we were climbing.

And then theres bouldering...
 
No matter what they were doing, I'm with Chef.
February + Mt. Hood = Throw another log in the fireplace and wait til Spring.

They will be renaming it, Mt. Doom, soon.
 
I believe that these folks like the last folks to kill themselves up there put themselves into the prediciment. Given the news reports you would have to be a nut to go up there this time of year. I was able to figure that out without going there and living on the opposite coast. Too bad they didn't figure it out.
 
Eight went up Saturday and three stayed an extra night after having a small fall. It seems that they were equipped to stay the night, had good nav, comms and a beacon. It's a lousy time to be climbing but that's from where I sit. Some folks need to do things in the winter to qualify for other things. Rag on them all you want, but the three (plus Velvet the Lab) walked off today so I'd say they did pretty good all things considered.
 
(Mt. DOOM!)...it reminds me that no matter how far we progress technologically; we never really are all that far down the road from throwing rocks at snakes.
 
CNN said they had a "mountain locator unit" and that they rented them for $5. They're supposedly like an animal tracking unit. Why would anyone not rent one?
 
No trying to flame any of you good people, but reading all your posts is much like listening to my friends (non-knife people) talk about the "dangers and hazards to the public if people are - gasp - allowed to carry pocket knives".

I participate in rock climbing, mountaineering and ice climbing (frozen waterfalls) and most of you probably think I'm nuts, but I assure you - I'm quite sane. Mountaineering can be an excellent adventure, with a wonderful sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, it can end in tragedy.

Now, I will admit I know little about the routes on Mt Hood, other than it sees many ascents by many different skill levels of climbers. Some are very experienced and have tragic luck, others are complete beginners and make horrendously bad decisions.

I would suggest that before you jump quickly to judge these folks, you consider your position - that armchair you're sitting in looks mightly comfortable from here.

My thoughts offered with the kindest and most friendly intentions.

D
 
130 mph winds is high, but up at 11,000 ft, that's to be expected.

People, if the State charged people for rescue, NOBODY would call for help, and there would be SOOOOOOO many more deaths in the field. Be thankful that there is a resource available to come to your rescue when you get lost, AND it won't cost you a thing!

These people are participating in a sport that is safe, and SANE! They enjoy their sport, and, at times, they know it can be dangerous, just like anything else. There are more accidents on I-5 in Oregon that result in fatalities than there are deaths on Mt. Hood.. Does that mean we should close I-5 or rename it DEATH-5?? No, it just means people need to be more careful, and learn from others mistakes. But, people don't.. And so, there will be another100 people killed on I-5 this year, and Portland Mtn Rescue along with the 304 Rescue Wing, the Crag Rats, Wind River SAR, and Silver Star SAR will continue to respond to lost climbers and hikers..
 
Diligence and Rescue Mike hit the nail on the head.

Hood is a popular climb for many reasons, not the least of which is because it's so accessible. Why winter? Because that's what turns it from a leisurely walk to a real mountain climb. It's sort of like asking why people need to snowboard when it's so cold out!

Unlike some, I've actually participated in SAR missions on Mt. Hood in very bad weather. Everyone up there, with the exception of the Sheriff's deputies and the Reach-And-Treat-Teams, is a volunteer. They want to do this, they actually like doing it, and there aren't many (if any) of them who would criticize these folks.

If people want to climb Hood, I support their right to do so. I may or may not think they're nuts depending on the circumstances, but ultimately it's their life and their choice.

-=[ Grant ]=-
 
hikeeba said:
I'm guessing they were 'mountaineering,' and not 'rock climbing.' When I think of rock climbing, yes, I think of fair-weather grappeling with bare hands and special shoes. Mountaineering is simialr to rock climbing, but the routes tend to have less shear vertical to them. The technical aspects of rock climbing still apply to mountaineering, but the environment is somewhat different. When I think of rock climbing, I think more of conquering smaller/shorter routes and pitches rather than going from the bottom to the top of a mountain. When I think of mountaineering, I think of Everest or big mountain climbing, where the goal is to get to the top. I dunno, I could be way off base here. When I did do rock climbing, we always slelected particular short routes. There was no summit to be reached where we were climbing.

And then theres bouldering...
Click to expand...

Thank you for this explanation.

Rescue Mike said:
These people are participating in a sport that is safe, and SANE! They enjoy their sport, and, at times, they know it can be dangerous, just like anything else.
Click to expand...

I'm certainly not disagreeing with anything in the last few posts. I'm completely ignorant when it comes to this sport. But I wanted to point out that you said the sport was safe and dangerous in two ajoining sentences.


I shouldn't have said the dog was the smartest one. Just being silly. Sorry. I do love dogs though.


Edited to add: Just found this story.

http://www.charter.net/news/read.php?ps=1011&id=13471813&_LT=HOME_LARSDCCL2_UNEWS

"The dog probably saved their lives" by lying across them during the cold night, said Erik Brom, a member of the Portland Mountain Rescue team. He described the wind in the canyon as "hellacious."
 
Fiddleback said:
But I wanted to point out that you said the sport was safe and dangerous in two ajoining sentences.
"
Click to expand...

When you put it like that.. It does sound silly!!

But seriously, think about it. Is driving your car dangerous? No, not generally. Can it be dangerous? Sure..

Mountaineering is the same way. Is it dangerous all the time? No.. Can it be dangerous? Sure!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go jump out of a perfectly good airplane!
 
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