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

[Lurker Steve]

The climbing site is quite angry about the talk about these locators.........
One of the men said that "with what they weigh, at like 5lbs. it slows a climber down and in that case is a hinder to a good climb"........
Its just our common sence that tells us that......every single climber needs this.......no ifs, ands, or buts.........
I really think......in all these years.......and in the improvements in cell phones, that.......just why isn't there a nice, slimline, locator......weighing no more then my cell phone. It would be imperative to have one.

I find it hard to believe that they took so much fuel, etc. in case they were stuck, but didn't want to take a mountain locator unit. They only needed one (though 3 would have been better, in case they got separated.)

 

[scandi]

That is just so sad to have found one man dead. They were right up almost to the top of that mtn.

At the CC blog, one gal says her brother was one of the rescuers who found the body. She then says they have ID'ed him and the family has been notified.

Then another poster says the dead body was the first one put on the Chinook. He had seen that positiin before.

Now on CNN and FOX they are saying the opposite. They will get the body tomorrow, know the ID but have not released it to the public.

Then we find out no all night C-120 or heat-seeking infared tonight, that they will reasess tonight what to do tomorrow. On CNN they are thinking maybe they don't hold out hope for the other 2 men. I don't know what they have to base that on, but can't imagine them speculating this on national TV without some basis. Maybe in looking into the clues they have learned something they aren't saying.

The tracks they found, I see them going all the way up to the top of that photo, although they do get lighter, like the wind has blown snow into them. I think maybe these tracks led to the second cave, don't you?

Scandi

 

[scandi]

Does anyone remembwer what day they mentioned they thought the cell phone p[ing had moved? I bet that is when he ventured out, thinking his cave might be in danger from an avalanche or something, and when he stepped out into the cold fresh air he became disoriented, couldn't find his entrance to the cave and so started walking and built the second cave. This was an idea stated by some expert on CNN.

But someone at CC says he sees the prints of 3 men going up that slope. I don't see that, but of course am no expert at all about things like this.

I so feel for the family, and I am sure they have been told tonight. And I agree it must be Kelly James as he was the least strong of them due to being hurt.

Oh, they have just said right now the family does know but they are leaving the body up there for the night as it is too dangerous to bring down tonight. They deliberated about this. Evidently the body had ID on it and one of the Portland Rescue team discovered this to make the ID.

They have also just now stated that there were two sets of tracks. One set in the photo we have seen heading up to the summit, and another below the cave that seems to go in a circular motion, as though the person was disorientated.

So sad. I hope the others are alive. The gal at CC said the searchers are a bit disillusioned as they can't understand why the other two have not given any indication to show themselves. I am hoping they are further down the mountain. I wonder if they have looked for any other sets of tracks further down, or if that would be too hard because other climbers have been up there since they disappeared.

 

[scandi]

Maybe they were trying to move him further along with them.

The body is probably that of James, the injured climber. I wonder what happpend that he was injured. He called his family last Tuesday (?), rather disoriented, I believe and said the other two had gone on. A very sad outcome.

Hi Trino, I just heard on CNN that Kelly James made the call on Sunday. And then his son called his dad right back in a 4 min. call and his wife talked to him as well then. And due to that 4 min call they were able to place on that mtn approx. where he was.

 

[Sassygerl]

The day they talked about a possible 911 call being made that did not connect was when I remember them saying the location had moved. So I would put that Monday night/Tues morning.

 

[Trino]

I also heard that, but it didn't sound like it was a positive call. Apparently, he was disoriented, said that one of the other climbers was on a plane somewhere, etc. It's so sad the weather was so uncooperative for a search.
I just hope the search and rescue has a more positive outcome than what it looks like right now.

 

[Trino]

Larry King Live:

Can we read between the lines? James's pastor was interviewed - in contact with the family. Several times he used "was" rather than "is." He ended the interview by saying he hoped they would find the other two guys.

 

[LaMer]

I can feel that we all are stunned..........
Lets think good thoughts and pray for the two others.
We still have a chance of two miracles........
Miracles do happen.....
I know our hearts are broken a bit........but, we have to think about
the chance to find the others......:angel: Prayers are good...........pray.

Sunday, I think you are right, the best and most we can do is PRAY for the other two climbers, Nikko and Brian. I say Nikko and Brian after reading Trino's post. We also need to pray for Kelly and his family. There are many broken hearts tonight. My heart goes out to them. Actually no words will help or comfort at a time like this.

I have read so much specualtion from the CascadeClimber's forum my head is spinning. My heart is breaking.

Something terrible happen on MT Hood, Mistress Hood, as referred to by a poster. Sooo the best we can do is keep the families in our hearts and PRAY for their loved one's safety and recovery. :angel:

Right now, their absence is a big mystery. Tomorrow, God Speed! :angel:

 

[sweetmop]

Sundayrain and LaMer,... most beautiful posts. And, I agree there are broken hearts tonight.My heart breaks for the family of Kelly James I so wanted to have a miraculous and joyous ending to this story. I know we are all " only human " and we can not understand these things happening, nor are we supposed to. I know that Kelly was a Believer, and tonight we know that he is so safe and so warm and so free of all worries and fear. It is the family and the friends and the rescuers and all of us here too, that need prayers tonight. And tomorrow will bring the sun, and we can see everything more clearly.

 

[Buzz Mills]

The climbers left the Tilly Jane warming hut, at 7,000', early Friday morning, the 8th, to climb the mountain. The accident must have happened either late Friday, or early Saturday.

Remember, when Kelly James phoned his son Sunday afternoon, he was already weak, and somewhat delirious. He did say that Hall and Cooke had left him, to seek help, the day before (Saturday). To think that he moved himself a day, or two, later, while injured, even weaker, and delirious, isn't very realistic, despite the alleged change in cell phone location that was detected by equipment that can only approximate a cell phone location..

The last ping from his cell phone was at 1:51AM, Tuesday, the 12th.

I think Hall and Cooke will probably be located well below Kelly James's location. They left to head down the mountain on Saturday, and no doubt were battling very poor conditions.

 

[scandi]

The 'Y'
http://209.221.152.246/images/news/IMG_9564.JPG

The footsteps:
http://209.221.152.246/images/news/IMG_9534.JPG

I see the Y hasn't been posted, and it does have zoom capabilities. At CC a poster has rotated that photo, and then when you look at it it is as though you can see 2 caves quite close together with lots of foot prints in a semi circle in front of each cave. I also see where it looks like a couple of rocks have disturbed the snow - don't know if they fell or were thrown there. I'll go get the other photo and then hope someone here will give their ideas on it.

Sorry, the pic is humungous when I try to post it here- zoomed all the way out I think. I do see footprints though on the far lower right.

Scandi

 

[Buzz Mills]

http://209.221.152.246/images/news/IMG_9564.JPG

I see the Y hasn't been posted, and it does have zoom capabilities. At CC a poster has rotated that photo, and then when you look at it it is as though you can see 2 caves quite close together with lots of foot prints in a semi circle in front of each cave. I also see where it looks like a couple of rocks have disturbed the snow - don't know if they fell or were thrown there. I'll go get the other photo and then hope someone here will give their ideas on it.

Sorry, the pic is humungous when I try to post it here- zoomed all the way out I think. I do see footprints though on the far lower right.

Scandi

Maybe you can just post a link to the CC post that contains the photo Scandi.

 

[RoughlyCollie]

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/data/504/medium/y-shape_rotated.jpg

Maybe you can just post a link to the CC post that contains the photo Scandi.

 

[philamena]

Sad news indeed. Continued hope and prayer for the 2 other climbers.

 

[scandi]

Thanks RC. I would like to see the relationship of the cave to the rope Y and to the footsteps. They should all be very close together.

 

[jilly]

I wonder if the second snow cave was bigger--enough for three people, while the first one was only big enough for one. Perhaps the two who left came back, dug the bigger cave, moved James to it with them. When he died (if he is indeed the one that was found), they abandoned the cave and attempted a push down the mountain.

I don't know if 3 people would go into one snow cave. (I've learned alot about snowcaves today). Seems to me one of the dangers is having the cave become too warm - then the ice melts and they get wet which is the worst thing possible. So with 3 people breathing out their 98.6 air, the cave would heat up very quickly. It's a very tricky situation keeping the cave cold enough.

As well, they have to leave a hole for enough air to come in so they don't suffocate, so for 3 people I guess the hole would have to be bigger which I don't know would be a good thing.

 

[Buzz Mills]

Since all three climbers were on the mountain together on Friday night, if the weather was inclement, they would have dug a snow cave for all three of them, to stay in, for just that one night. On Saturday, they dug a snow cave just for the injured Kelly James, and then Hall and Cooke headed down the mountain to seek help.

 

[SewingDeb]

That makes sense, Buzzm.

 

[scandi]

Hi Buzz,

That does make sense Buzz. Then do you think the 2 man went down Coopers Spur which was their route back if there was an emergency?

On a call in TH on Greta's show he said the footsteps led from the 1st cave up the mountain to the second cave. There were no drag marks going up, so that means that Kelly James did climb up with them even though he was injured. Is that how you think it happened.

There are no steps going back down there, and if you follow the footsteps up to where the photo ends you see footsteps leading out of that 2nd cave and up the hill towards the summit. That would mean they went up higher and then took a different route down to the Coopers Spur. They did say these caves were at the top of the Coopers Spur.

 

[Buzz Mills]

Hi Buzz,

That does make sense Buzz. Then do you think the 2 man went down Coopers Spur which was their route back if there was an emergency?

On a call in TH on Greta's show he said the footsteps led from the 1st cave up the mountain to the second cave. There were no drag marks going up, so that means that Kelly James did climb up with them even though he was injured. Is that how you think it happened.

There are no steps going back down there, and if you follow the footsteps up to where the photo ends you see footsteps leading out of that 2nd cave and up the hill towards the summit. That would mean they went up higher and then took a different route down to the Coopers Spur. They did say these caves were at the top of the Coopers Spur.

Scandi, it is even very possible that Kelly James was injured Saturday morning, after they had all stayed in the first snow cave Friday night. If he was injured late Friday, then apparently they decided to move him to a safer location before Hall and Cooke departed Saturday to seek help.

Hard to tell which way Hall and Cooke headed Scandi; in the note, they had said, in case of trouble, they would return the same way they went up. However in light of their relative position, high up on the mountain, very near the summit, they would have been smart to descend on the far less dangerous South side. The weather was also supposed to be harsher on the North side of the mountain.