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

[Ca-Sun]

According to Oregonlive.com, they are now saying that the last real ping was from 1:51 AM Tuesday morning, not Tuesday night. Bummer.

Does anyone know if the other two do have cell phones, or if they only took one phone with them?

No reports about the other two having cell phones, so we just don't know. I've been thinking about that all week, cricket.

 

[RoughlyCollie]

Okay, thanks Buzz for clearing that up.

Costco is one place my husband doesn't want me to go -- I never have an agenda, yet I walk out of there with many, many bargains I couldn't leave behind.

I do most of my shopping online, so when I'm in a real store, I kind of go crazy.

Happy shopping!

No pings today that I have been able to find RC. Costco, I don't need anything, although I always manage to find an item, or two, (or 10, or 12) usually on sale, that I will buy. I also pick up supplies for a friend who owns a beauty shop; it saves her a lot of time. I was going to buy a 4 lb. bag of pistachios for snacks in my computer room, and who knows what else??

 

[Buzz Mills]

Okay, thanks Buzz for clearing that up.

Costco is one place my husband doesn't want me to go -- I never have an agenda, yet I walk out of there with many, many bargains I couldn't leave behind.

I do most of my shopping online, so when I'm in a real store, I kind of go crazy.

Happy shopping!

I can spend $200 at Costco really easily--that's my average trip--it's not bad if I only go once a week, but there are weeks when i'll go to Costco three times, especially on a trip to elsewhere, because other Costcos have some different items unique to that area.

 

[scandi]

I believe Greta asked a question about whether the other two men had cell phones with them and the answer was "We don't know".

I'm really surprised at that, aren't you AlwaysShocked? I could even say I am shocked by that! These two families along with Hall lived their lives around mountaineering and climbing. It is a real specific type interest, and can't imagine the rest of their families not knowing if they usually carried a cell phone.

If they normally did, there would bwe a good chance they'd have at least one with. In fact in this day and age with the danger of their activity, like sliding into a ravine, each one should have had a cell phone.

Scandi

 

[Sassygerl]

I'm really surprised at that, aren't you AlwaysShocked? I could even say I am shocked by that! These two families along with Hall lived their lives around mountaineering and climbing. It is a real specific type interest, and can't imagine the rest of their families not knowing if they usually carried a cell phone.

If they normally did, there would bwe a good chance they'd have at least one with. In fact in this day and age with the danger of their activity, like sliding into a ravine, each one should have had a cell phone.

Scandi

My worry is that since they were trying to pack as light as possible they would think one cell phone was sufficient for the three of them...thinking they would always be together. I would sure think the families would know if they had their phones with them. Praying praying! I cannot quit thinking about these 3 guys!

 

[Buzz Mills]

My worry is that since they were trying to pack as light as possible they would think one cell phone was sufficient for the three of them...thinking they would always be together. I would sure think the families would know if they had their phones with them. Praying praying! I cannot quit thinking about these 3 guys!

That would be the way they think Sg--they only needed one charged phone to make all of their calls with. As bad as I feel for Kelly James family, at least there has been some semblance of contact with him. The Hall and Cooke families haven't heard anything from their sons, husbands, brother, since who knows when. No word, or ping, during this entire ordeal.

 

[scandi]

That is Buzz unless they didn't get too far out the door of that snow cave and headed right back in!

 

[Buzz Mills]

That is Buzz unless they didn't get too far out the door of that snow cave and headed right back in!

I almost died tonight just carrying in two frozen sausages from the freezer in the garage into the kitchen, bare-handed. Didn't think I was going to make it. Just kidding mostly, but it certainly made me think about those guys and what they are having to go through.

 

[Sassygerl]

That is Buzz unless they didn't get too far out the door of that snow cave and headed right back in!

That's true...I guess then we really don't know who attempted for sure to call 911. It could have actually been one of the other climbers, not Kelly. Earlier I could have sworn I heard from the other room that they said from the ping Tues. that Kelly (or whoever has phone) had moved. Did anyone else hear this?

 

[cricket]

I hate to see them backing off from a positive statement made earlier. It's a downer.

ditto

 

[Ca-Sun]

This was posted on cascadeclimbers...

A Heartfelt Thank You from Dallas:

Thank you so much for the kind and wonderful postings you have made on this blog in the past several days. As one member noted, others are reading your blog, and finding a lot of comfort in your expert opinions and hopeful words.

Friends of Brian Hall have set up a fund for the benefit of the rescue teams helping to find Brian, Kelly and Nikko. These funds will be used to replenish funds used for this rescue as well as future rescues, and will serve as a token of our appreciation for those giving their time, expertise, bravery and energy to searches on Mt. Hood.

It would be sincerely appreciated if you could please help us get this message out to others in your community. Donations may be made to:

Mount Hood Rescue 2006
Dallas National Bank
2725 Turtle Creek Blvd
Dallas, TX 75219
Ivona Rogers 214.224.7370
http://www.DallasNationalBank.com

Thanks again for helping us get Brian, Kelly and Nikko home.

 

[Buzz Mills]

That is Buzz unless they didn't get too far out the door of that snow cave and headed right back in!

Scandi, I wish we had a better handle on what time, on Saturday, Hall and Cooke left Kelly James, to head down the mountain for help, and what the weather conditions were at the time. Also the weather conditions on Sunday. Having the search on hold, with time rapidly running out, is not a very good feeling.

 

[Ca-Sun]

That's true...I guess then we really don't know who attempted for sure to call 911. It could have actually been one of the other climbers, not Kelly. Earlier I could have sworn I heard from the other room that they said from the ping Tues. that Kelly (or whoever has phone) had moved. Did anyone else hear this?

I remember hearing about that. Here is what one person said: When they ping the phone, they show the probable location with a larger circle of accuracy, just like a gps does. It says, you are somewhere in this circle. They have gotten two good traces of pings, with the centers of the circles in different locations. However, there is a small area of overlap in the accuracy circle. So yes, maybe there was some movement, I sure hope that is the case. However, it may be that the phone is located in that overlapping area, and has not moved at all.

 

[scandi]

Yea Sassy, I heard the same thing just as Ca-Sun said it.

Wasn't that a really nice letter to that Cascade Climbing group? They have some real interesting people that post there as regulars - professionals I think. I know those wonderful photo's we have enjoyed were taken by one of their members, and I think they are as top notch as anyone cvould ever take. In the vein of Ackroyd who was a most respected Oregon photographer.

 

[Ca-Sun]

Yea Sassy, I heard the same thing just as Ca-Sun said it.

Wasn't that a really nice letter to that Cascade Climbing group? They have some real interesting people that post there as regulars - professionals I think. I know those wonderful photo's we have enjoyed were taken by one of their members, and I think they are as top notch as anyone cvould ever take. In the vein of Ackroyd who was a most respected Oregon photographer.

It was a really nice letter. I appears to be from either a friend or relative of Brian Hall.
Great photos, indeed, taken by the climbers, and a wealth of information on that forum.

 

[Buzz Mills]

I remember hearing about that. Here is what one person said: When they ping the phone, they show the probable location with a larger circle of accuracy, just like a gps does. It says, you are somewhere in this circle. They have gotten two good traces of pings, with the centers of the circles in different locations. However, there is a small area of overlap in the accuracy circle. So yes, maybe there was some movement, I sure hope that is the case. However, it may be that the phone is located in that overlapping area, and has not moved at all.

The last I heard they had narrowed the cellphone's position to within 500 meters. If the cellphone is not responding, they can have all of the high-tech cellphone pinpoint positioning equipment on the planet, and it isn't going to do them any good. A circle with a radius of 500 meters covers a huge amount of area--almost of the proverbial needle in the haystack variety.

 

[Buzz Mills]

It was a really nice letter. I appears to be from either a friend or relative of Brian Hall.
Great photos, indeed, taken by the climbers, and a wealth of information on that forum.

Absolutely beautiful pictures.

 

[Ca-Sun]

The last I heard they had narrowed the cellphone's position to within 500 meters. If the cellphone is not responding, they can have all of the high-tech cellphone pinpoint positioning equipment on the planet, and it isn't going to do them any good. A circle with a radius of 500 meters covers a huge amount of area--almost of the proverbial needle in the haystack variety.

That's why they brought in the Feds with all their toys.

 

[Buzz Mills]

They can bring in their metal detectors to find the climbers..I wonder if they carry a telescoping flag to mark where their snow caves are?? A marker of some type would help--maybe an orange smoke flare.

 

[dark_shadows]

COOPER SPUR, Oregon: One of three stranded mountain climbers lost somewhere amid ice, billowing snow and gale-force winds on Mount Hood has been turning off and on his cell phone, authorities said Thursday, raising hopes for his rescue.

T-Mobile received a signal from Kelly James' cell phone late Tuesday night, indicating it was back on, when it had been off.

The sequence of signals suggested James, 48, of Dallas, may have been turning his cell phone off to conserve battery power, a possibility that brought hope to family members who have gathered near the mountain.

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