MISSING CLIMBERS ON MT HOOD, OREGON…

This headline is not new news. These guys have been missing for several weeks. The three climbers, from Texas and New York, were experienced at conquering mountains much larger than Mt Hood, at 11,243 feet elevation. It was unusual that they should attempt to climb the north face of Mt Hood in December, as we frequently have many ice storms and high winds on the mountain in December. One man has been found deceased. Apparently he had dislocated his shoulder and his two buddies left him in an ice cave about 300 feet below the summit, to strike out for help. They have not been heard from or found. It is an unforgiving mountain.

This Wednesday afternoon, my son and grand-daughter-of-the-heart made our way to Timberline Lodge to go skiing. Timberline Lodge is a beautiful place, located at 6000 feet elevation on the South slope of Mt Hood; www.timberlinelodge.com.

At a place less than 4000 feet elevation we had to stop along the road and install tire chains on my 4WD, 2004 Dodge Crew Cab, before we could proceed. The traffic was heavy. Apparently, most everyone else had the same idea to ski that we had!

As we neared the top, the snow was falling heavily. The wind had picked up on the upper East side of the mountain and was whipping up the snow so bad that we could barely see the road. The parking lot was crowded, but we managed to find a spot as far away from the Lodge as we could. We put on our ski pants, sweaters, coats and gloves to protect us from the cold. The ski goggles came in very handy because the hard blowing snow stung our faces like tiny needles.

The near “white-out” conditions made it difficult to see very far. At times, visibility was only a few feet. Naturally, we chose not to ski under these conditions as we could become disoriented or “lost” (it’s hard for a guy to say that word!). Instead we walked up the hill to the main Lodge and went inside to look around, opting to “wait out” the storm until it cleared a little or to go back home without ever skiing at all.

The white-out got me to thinking about the missing climbers and how the search parties looking for them could have been within only a few feet away and never saw them. The conditions were much worse on the North face, with 80 MPH winds blowing into their faces. The searchers must have been roped together in order to not become “lost” themselves! What courageous men they were to confront the odds and brave the elements in order to help strangers!

We did manage to find a window of opportunity and ski for a couple of hours before the lift closed for the night. We had a great, but short, time skiing!

After turning in our rented equipment and hiking back down the parking lot to the ice covered black Dodge truck, we proceeded to warm up and clear the windshield. As I started the motor and warmed the heater, I looked up and noticed my outside temperature gauge read 18 degrees. No wonder Alyssa’s cheeks were rosy!