OR OR - Kelly James (dead), Brian Hall, 37, Jerry Cooke, 36, Mt. Hood Climbers, Dec 2006

[Buzz Mills]

Ahhh, so that's what it is. Makes sense now why they said, "half sleeping bag." Thank you, Buzz.

Here is a picture of the DAS Parka

Nice jacket--I'd like one for Christmas, green would be great.

 

[Ca-Sun]

Nice jacket--I'd like one for Christmas, green would be great.

Gee Buzz, sorry, but Costco only had black. Maybe next year.

 

[Buzz Mills]

Gee Buzz, sorry, but Costco only had black. Maybe next year.

I only wish Costco would carry Pategonia; they have some very nice things. Expensive, but really very nice.

 

[Ca-Sun]

Here is Jerry Cooke and his wife Michaela:

This is Cloud Cap Cabin - the SAR base camp:

Courtesy of CNN.com

 

[Ca-Sun]

Update: Hood River Sheriff's office confirms Kelly James' cell phone sent out a signal late Tuesday night, giving new hope to families and searchers.

This is wonderful news!

 

[nanandjim]

Here is Jerry Cooke and his wife Michaela:

This is Cloud Cap Cabin - the SAR base camp:

Courtesy of CNN.com

Jerry Cooke looks like Matthew Broderick, at least in this photo! Hope that he and others are okay and are found soon.

 

[Buzz Mills]

12-06-2006 The three experienced back-country enthusiasts, 48-year-old Kelly James, of Dallas, Tex., Brian Hall, 37, also of Dallas, and Jerry "Nikko" Cooke, 36, of New York City, set out last Wednesday to climb the treacherous North Face of Mt. Hood, using a technique known as a "rapid ascent". They were carrying a minimum amount of gear and planned to climb to the 11,239-foot summit and descend to their base camp in just a couple of days. The Tilly Jane Trailhead is at 3900'.

12-07-2006 The three spent the night in the Tilly Jane warming shelter, located at 7000'. The cabin is left open for skiers and climbers to use. It is maintained and stocked with firewood by volunteers. A note was found in the log book that was left by the three men. The note read “12/7/06, Thanks for your hard work on this great Shelter. We did not plan on staying, but the warmth of the fire changed our minds. We climb as a group of 3 and we left a $20 bill. We will leave tomorrow for the north face! Wish us luck! Nikko, B Hall, Krazy Kelly”

12-08-2006 James, Hall, and Cooke were to meet other friends at the Timberline Lodge on Friday afternoon. They failed to show up.

12-09-2006 Friends reported the climbers missing. Hall, and Cooke, dug a snow cave for the injured climber Kellt James, just below the summit, and left him to go and seek help. The climbers had a minimal amount of food but could subsist for some time on the water in snow, and they were at least dressed adequately for the subzero temperatures that can rake the summit.

12-10-2006 On Sunday, Hood River County officials found the hikers' vehicle parked at the Tilly Jane ski trailhead, located at 3900', of the Cooper Spur ski area, with a note saying they would return on the north side of the Copper Spur area in case of an emergency or dangerous weather conditions.

Kelly James, called his son Jason Sunday afternoon, injured, and in a snow cave almost 11,000 feet up on the North side of Mt. Hood; Kelly sounded disoriented and said he had run into trouble, but did not specify a physical injury.

12-11-2006 Monday, 7:20AM 911 call attempt from high on the North side of the mountain. Call did not get through.

12-12-2006 Tuesday, According to T-Mobile, the cell phone stopped responding to the signals, or “pings."

The latest news: The cell phone of one of three climbers lost on Mount Hood received a signal from the cell phone company late Tuesday night (at 10:55PM), "indicating it was back on," authorities said Thursday. Hood River Sheriff's office confirmed that Kelly James' cell phone sent out a signal late Tuesday night.

12-13-2006 Wednesday, Search confined to below 7000' due to weather. A Nevada Air National Guard C-130 with heat-sensing devices flew over the mountain Wednesday but had to turn back because of the turbulence. The C-130 was expected back Thursday.

As of Wednesday, the nonprofit ARACAR company provided Nighthawk drones equipped with streaming video and a thermal imaging system that might be able to spot body heat, said Chris Nagelvoort, the company's director of operations. Blinding snow and powerful winds hampered the rescue effort Wednesday. But Nagelvoort said the hand-launched unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, will join the search as soon as weather allows it. "We have it all set up and ready to go. We're just waiting for the wind to subside," Nagelvoort said Wednesday night from a base camp on Mount Hood. The company had three Nighthawks on-site Wednesday, and two more UAVs were expected today. Nighthawks were developed for the Defense Department and have been used in Afghanistan and Iraq, said Michael Pierce, the company's assistant director of support.

IOMAX is providing equipment that will enable searchers to pinpoint the exact location of the cellphone ping.

12-14-2006 Thursday, Plans call for two staging camps on the north and south sides of the mountain so teams could head to the summit quickly if the weather breaks. Snow levels will rise rapidly ahead of the storm today, likely nearing 7000 feet or more in the Oregon Cascades, but they'll plunge precipitously behind the storm. By Friday morning, snow levels are forecast to be down to around 1000-2000 feet in the Washington and northern Oregon Cascades. Winds near the summit are likely to surpass 100 mph Thursday before easing, then daytime temperatures above 10,000 feet are to go below zero.

http://www.weather.com/newscenter/stormwatch/?from=wxcenter_news

 

[Buzz Mills]

Mt. Hood missing climber may be turning phone on and off

COOPER SPUR, Ore. - One of the climbers missing on Oregon's Mount Hood may be turning his cell phone on and off.

T-Mobile has been sending signals to Kelly James' phone. On Tuesday, it was apparently turned off, until late at night, when the signal indicated it was back on. Also, on Monday there was an attempt to make a call from the phone, but it didn't go through.

Family members are hoping James is alive and turning the phone on and off to save battery power.

There's been no sign of James or his two friends since last weekend. James' wife says all of the relatives are keeping their spirits high.

But once again, rescuers are finding stormy weather on Mount Hood, which stands over 11,000 feet. That's again restricting their search to lower parts of the mountain.

http://www.cbs47.tv/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=060E21CB-4882-4B83-A33E-15BF11B7B49A

Just out of curioisty, I wonder how many pings it will take IOMAX to pinpoint Kelly James's cell phone location??? The cell phone allegedly has been located to within 500 meters by T-mobile; that's a good start. Let's hope that some point, preferably during good weather, Kelly James will turn his phone on , and leave it on long enough, for IOMAX to pinpoint the phone's exact location, because IOIMAX will need that to work with.

 

[Ca-Sun]

Just out of curioisty, I wonder how many pings it will take IOMAX to pinpoint Kelly James's cell phone location??? The cell phone allegedly has been located to within 500 meters by T-mobile; that's a good start. Let's hope that some point, preferably during good weather, Kelly James will turn his phone on , and leave it on long enough, for IOMAX to pinpoint the phone's exact location, because IOIMAX will need that to work with.

The Feds are coming to help track the exact location of where the pings are originating. Interesting that the cell phone engineers don't know as much about tracking as the Feds... hmmmm.

 

[scandi]

Thanks Nana for the photos. I saw his wife on TV today and she was not in good shape. well was crying as you can imagine.

And to Buzz, thaks again for the great info. My lights just flickered and the winds are just starting here, so I don't know how long I will have power. I'm just above the base of the hill facing almost due west, and when inclement weather hits it usually slaps my sliding glass doors square on.

So Buzz, you are a very logical thinker and a bit on the conservative side. If you were these two guys realizing the situation was survival mode, why would you go back up the mountain under such bad conditions. Their friend was safe in a snow hole and they would be able to tell officials exactly where he was. They were down to 3900' elevation at the Tilly Jane trailhead. That is the same elevation of Welches on the south side. I've driven through there a zillion times in my life.

They risked their own lives in a double jeopardy move to go back up the mtn again. They would have then planned to go back to their friend, right, or otherwise they would have stayed and driven their car to find help.

Tht tells me their friend must have been hurt quite badly - maybe a broken leg. Maybe they grabbed extra supplies they had in their car to bring back up to him. Maybe they just had to try and help him, at all costs.

I'm thinking although a gallant mission they undertook, they should have stayed in safe harbor. Possibly the mission of James Kim taking off to find help for his family inspired them the week before. But in reality they have made the search more complicated now, as 3 are missing instead of one. I guess Hall was not married.

Do you think I am all wet? Scandi

 

[Buzz Mills]

The Feds are coming to help track the exact location of where the pings are originating. Interesting that the cell phone engineers don't know as much about tracking as the Feds... hmmmm.

When you are attempting to track international, or local, terrorists, equipment is developed to pinpoint the exact location of cellphones. They have a lot of toys like this and they have the money to develop new ones.

 

[Buzz Mills]

Thanks Nana for the photos. I saw his wife on TV today and she was not in good shape. well was crying as you can imagine.

And to Buzz, thaks again for the great info. My lights just flickered and the winds are just starting here, so I don't know how long I will have power. I'm just above the base of the hill facing almost due west, and when inclement weather hits it usually slaps my sliding glass doors square on.

So Buzz, you are a very logical thinker and a bit on the conservative side. If you were these two guys realizing the situation was survival mode, why would you go back up the mountain under such bad conditions. Their friend was safe in a snow hole and they would be able to tell officials exactly where he was. They were down to 3900' elevation at the Tilly Jane trailhead. That is the same elevation of Welches on the south side. I've driven through there a zillion times in my life.

They risked their own lives in a double jeopardy move to go back up the mtn again. They would have then planned to go back to their friend, right, or otherwise they would have stayed and driven their car to find help.

Tht tells me their friend must have been hurt quite badly - maybe a broken leg. Maybe they grabbed extra supplies they had in their car to bring back up to him. Maybe they just had to try and help him, at all costs.

I'm thinking although a gallant mission they undertook, they should have stayed in safe harbor. Possibly the mission of James Kim taking off to find help for his family inspired them the week before. But in reality they have made the search more complicated now, as 3 are missing instead of one. I guess Hall was not married.

Do you think I am all wet? Scandi

Scandi, I wouldn't go back up to rejoin Kelly James in that snow cave. Hall, and Cooke, had to take the chance that they would be able to get down the mountain and get help for Kelly James. They were unsuccessful, and now we are also very worried about their welfare. Coming down can often be much more dangerous than going up the mountain, and the elements were working against them.

 

[scandi]

Just have to give a little plug here. The Portland office of the FBI is one of the best in the country I have read.

Recently I read of a Seattle case where a Fed prosecutor was murdered in the basement office of his home. He worked on cases where prople have defrauded the gvnmt. Well after the Seattle office had years with the case to no avail, they transferred the investigation to the Portland office and they have made great headway in the case. Now they know who it is just have to catch him!

 

[Buzz Mills]

OFFTOPIC: I need to make a Costco run, BBL.

 

[scandi]

But Buzz, Hall and Cooke had already made it down to the 3900' elevation point. They could have driven their car to get help. What am I missing? Even Timberline Lodge is 6000' elevation, so their car was parked at this one:

This is Government Camp @ 4000', right now, not even really snowy. Right now up 2000' hight it is almost whiteout conditions {at 6000' - Timberline Lodge}

 

[Buzz Mills]

But Buzz, Hall and Cooke had already made it down to the 3900' elevation point. They could have driven their car to get help. What am I missing? Even Timberline Lodge is 6000' elevation, so their car was parked at this one:

[photo to come}

Scandi, I don't know how to break this to you, but Hall and Cooke never made it down. Thinking you missed something in the translation. The friends they were supposed to meet on Friday afternoon at the Timberline Lodge reported the three climbers missing on Saturday. Their car was parked at the Tilly Jane Trailhead at 3900'; that is where they began the climb from.

 

[scandi]

Buzz, they did make it back to their car because they left a note that James was injured and left in a snow cave"

"12-10-2006 On Sunday, Hood River County officials found the hikers' vehicle parked at the Tilly Jane ski trailhead, located at 3900', of the Cooper Spur ski area, with a note.

Kelly James, injured, and in a snow cave almost 11,000 feet up on the North side of Mt. Hood,

 

[Buzz Mills]

Buzz, they did make it back to their car because they left a note that James was injured and left in a snow cave"

"12-10-2006 On Sunday, Hood River County officials found the hikers' vehicle parked at the Tilly Jane ski trailhead, located at 3900', of the Cooper Spur ski area, with a note.

Kelly James, injured, and in a snow cave almost 11,000 feet up on the North side of Mt. Hood,

A note was found in the climbers' vehicle parked at the Tilly Jane ski trailhead.

The note, according to authorities, said they would return on the north side of the Copper Spur area in case of an emergency or dangerous weather conditions

 

[scandi]

I got that quote from your link right above on this page. So then it is eronious information and not true?

 

[scandi]

It could be the note contained all of that info Buzz. They just haven't printed the whole note, but rather pieces of it.