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

[LaMer]

Rest in Peace, Kelly, Jerry and Brian.

Ca-Sun, I also want to thank you for sharing the beautiful picture, and may they rest in PEACE!

Their sport of climbing was dear to them, no doubt, but I don't think dying this way would give them or anyone much consolation, in that they would ever think "Well I-They died doing something I-They enjoyed and loved." I would bet they loved their families far more and would have given anything to turn the clock back. I mention this as I have read this comment over and over when reading here and there and everywhere.

I think when the comment, "well they died doing something they enjoyed and loved" is made by whoever, be it family, friends or concerned people, it is made more for those left behind to help in their understanding of what happened and be consoling to them. jmo

My heart aches for the loss of these three great guys, Kelly, Nikko, and Brian. My sympathy to their families and friends. May God help them with the pain and suffering they are going through right now, and be with them for a long long time, as this loss and pain will be with them forever.

Also a special thank you to all who helped in their search. I don't think the cost is important, infact it will all take care of itself, it always does. Life cannot be measured in monetary value. I hate it when the dollar value is mentioned when it comes to helping fellow man.

Thank God, no one was hurt or lost their life, during the search. This is a wonderful country, there are always so many who are willing to reach out and give aid and help others! God Bless them and keep them safe from harm when reaching out to others in need.

God Bless them ALL!

note--it was mentioned, Oregon has a $500 fee for calling-in to be rescued, however it is not emphasized to climbers, as they are afraid some climbers will not give the call. I think the authorities in Oregon, have hearts as big as the mountain itself!

 

[Liz]

I never knew any of them either, yet I got to emotionally into this whole story. I just really hate the outcome so very much. It is simply horrendous. I always thought they would be found alive and well when the story first broke. God bless their souls and their families.

Your kind and caring spirit comes through in your posts, sweetmop. I have enjoyed reading them here. (I bet you make a great nurse! Kudos to you ... I think you're an endangered species.)

I think many of us following this (real-life) reality story were lead to believe that because these men were so highly experienced, strong and allegedly well-prepared, that this would end with a happy resolution. Sadly, that just didn't happen.

Hopefully, lessons will be learned, from which other climbers' lives may end up being saved. One thing imo is for certain ... always hope for the best, but be prepared for the very worst.

 

[Buzz Mills]

I would take up mountain climbing but I don't think I could make it up the mountain with my six months supply of food, my camping stoves, firewoood, tent, camping chairs, queen sized air mattress, Lanterns, and a case of beer.

i'm following the Boy Scout Motto: "Always Be Prepared."

 

[Liz]

I would take up mountain climbing but I don't think I could make it up the mountain with my six months supply of food, my camping stoves, firewoood, tent, camping chairs, queen sized air mattress, Lanterns, and a case of beer.

i'm following the Boy Scout Motto: "Always Be Prepared."

LOL, Buzz! You and me both! You should see what I pack just to go to a beach or lake outing! lol!

The Boy Scout Motto is one we should all try to live by, imo.

 

[Sassygerl]

I would take up mountain climbing but I don't think I could make it up the mountain with my six months supply of food, my camping stoves, firewoood, tent, camping chairs, queen sized air mattress, Lanterns, and a case of beer.

i'm following the Boy Scout Motto: "Always Be Prepared."

What if the only Costco was up there? Would ya climb then??? LOL

 

[scandi]

Whew!~ I finally found the great post about the mishap on Mt Rainier with Jerry and his partner Snoball, when suddenly Snoball finds himself 10' down in a cravasse:

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/foru...=Fuggedaboudit&topic=0&Search=true#Post481415

Snipet
Trip Report:

Arrival Day
14 July 2005, Thursday:

Drove to Seattle Airport to pick up my new climbing partner for Rainier, Jerry from New England! We are climbing as a 2 person team. . . . . .

I am now falling... "F A L L I N G!" God! I stopped. My boots are hanging in mid-air. I am in a deep crevasse, about 5ft wide, blue ice walls, pure bottomless blackness far below.

I have fallen approx 10ft (about 4 feet above my head is the hole i just created in the glacier). I am wedged in the snowy upper-section of the crevasse. "SET THE ANCHOR! SET THE ANCHOR! JERRY, SET THE DAMN ANCHOR! DID YOU HEAR ME? SET THE ANCHOR!" My right hand is high above my head still holding onto the top of my ice axe, which is plunged into the snow/ice, but i can see the bottom of the ice axe poking out through the bottom of the snow/ice, then there is nothing. These are sights climbers do not want to see. The rope is tight, , , , ,



It does keep you on the edge of your seat! Scandi

PS: For some reason this small thread loads from bottom to the top, so you have to scroll up past the photos to read the story. Fuggedaboudit is Jerry responding in the following posts.

 

[Buzz Mills]

What if the only Costco was up there? Would ya climb then??? LOL

I've never had a bad trip to Costco Sg; yes, I would climb for a Costco.

They are closing out alot of their Christmas decorations.--was there today, and will probably go again before Christmas.

 

[Liz]

Snippets from Cooke has passion for adventure, friend says

"When you saw the twinkle in his smile, you knew you wanted to be friends forever," Lopez said. "He would truly give you the jacket off his back."

"'The world is in front of you,' he would say," Lopez recalled.

The trio (Kelly, Nikko, & Brian) forged an instant bond, based on their love of climbing, and shared an adventurous spirit and deep faith in God, friends said.

"They immediately connected like lifelong brothers," said Jessica Nunez, a friend of the James family.

They meticulously planned the trip, discussing weather and strategies for months. James had his equipment sprawled out in his living room for weeks.

"They just didn't get up and go on a climbing trip," Nunez said.

"Kelly, Brian and Nikko shared a passion and reverence for climbing," Cooke's wife said at a news conference. "The bond they forged between
them will last for all eternity."

--> more at link

====================

Re: "The bond they forged between them will last for all eternity."

Undoubtedly, that is very true.

 

[Ca-Sun]

CBS Evening News with Katie Couric—6:30 p.m. EST Katie will be interviewing Karen James. If you miss the television interview, you should be able to view it online at: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/eveningnews/main3420.shtml

Frank James will be on Larry King Live 9:00 p.m. EST

 

[Buzz Mills]

CBS Evening News with Katie Couric—6:30 p.m. EST Katie will be interviewing Karen James. If you miss the television interview, you should be able to view it online at: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/eveningnews/main3420.shtml

Frank James will be on Larry King Live 9:00 p.m. EST

They'll all be on the circuit for a week, or so.

 

[Hms]

In this day and age of budget deficits in most cities and counties, and especially so, with the Federal Government, the money to pay for rescue services still has to come out of somebody's budget. If Peter robs Paul to pay for the search, Paul has to cut expenses somewhere else to balance the books.

Another way to look at it, a lot of the Sheriff's office was tied up conducting this search. Who was handling their normal patrols the Sheriff is normally reponsible for during this time. Somebody had to be short-handed somewhere.

The Sheriff's office apparently estimated that the search cost them $5,000 per day. I wonder how much this earch cost others??

Which county is Sheriff Wampler the sheriff of??

I find myself really disturbed with the thought that we live in the greatest country in the world (imo), yet, we are willing to spend trillions of dollars on weapons meant to take lives but people complain about the pale comparison of money we spend to save lives!

I also noticed people calling these men selfish, personally I find the families who stop their loved ones from doing the things that make them the happiest selfish! Like they always say,"live life to the fullest" that's what these men were doing. I can state with certainty that the people making these comments behave in a matter that they refer to as selfish. How many of you eat fast food, smoke, and ride in a car without a seatbelt? I think you get my point, it is impossible to avoid risky behavior in this day and age, so please don't criticize these poor men's characters.

 

[czechmate7]

They'll all be on the circuit for a week, or so.

I don't get it...it's barely been a week since they found Kelly and the family is going on talk/news shows? I would still be devastated, in shock and mourning. I mean they haven't even properly buried him yet!! How and why do these families do this?

 

[Liz]

I don't get it...it's barely been a week since they found Kelly and the family is going on talk/news shows? I would still be devastated, in shock and mourning. I mean they haven't even properly buried him yet!! How and why do these families do this?

Maybe it's because the family members are being hounded day and night by media people!

Or maybe they are thinking that since this story grew to global proportions, that people world wide were praying for their loved one(s), that they want to try to be as gracious as possible!

Why do people have to question *why*?

 

[AlwaysShocked]

I never much liked Rosie O'Donnel to begin with, and her comments about the rescue efforts make me like her even less. Obviously, she has her "facts" about the costs involved wrong. Perhaps she doesn't read well or has dyslexia and got the numeric figure wrong?

Why would someone whose husband just passed away want to be interviewed on a TV program? This I do not understand.

(Was in a situation 20 years ago where a young family member was killed traumatically in an event that was broadcast extensively on the local news stations. Reporters called and wanted "family interviews" and also wanted to "film the funeral". Each of us thought that would be awful and said a loud and resounding "NO!" also, local police were informed so that no camera crews could be waiting at church or cemetery.)

 

[Buzz Mills]

SNIP

How many of you eat fast food, smoke, and ride in a car without a seatbelt? I think you get my point, it is impossible to avoid risky behavior in this day and age, so please don't criticize these poor men's characters.

Hms, I don't smoke, and would never drive without my seatbelt on. Fast food, on rare occasions. If we didn't have a war to fight, and weapons to build, the country would probably still be in a depression.

These are changing times and the changes aren't all positive. One of the things we are going to constantly contend with, from here, into the future, is how government monies are allocated. Most police departments are understaffed at this time; all due to budget deficits. Violent crimes are increasing at an alarming rate. The prisons ar overcrowded, either more prisons are built, or they need to begin releasing even the more hardened criminals, as they don't have room for them. Schools are suffering because of state shortfalls. Parks used to be free, and now they all charge entrance fees. Even California is going to have toll lanes in the near future. When the Federal Government runs up such huge deficits, it puts a squeeze of all monies that would typically go to the states. Everyone is beginning to feel the pinch in a thousand different ways. This problem isn't going to go away, but it is going to get a lot worse in the not too distant future. Costs are going to be a concern with us, evermore so, as time goes on. It's a sign of the times.

 

[Buzz Mills]

I never much liked Rosie O'Donnel to begin with, and her comments about the rescue efforts make me like her even less. Obviously, she has her "facts" about the costs involved wrong. Perhaps she doesn't read well or has dyslexia and got the numeric figure wrong?

Why would someone whose husband just passed away want to be interviewed on a TV program? This I do not understand.

(Was in a situation 20 years ago where a young family member was killed traumatically in an event that was broadcast extensively on the local news stations. Reporters called and wanted "family interviews" and also wanted to "film the funeral". Each of us thought that would be awful and said a loud and resounding "NO!" also, local police were informed so that no camera crews could be waiting at church or cemetery.)

AS, thanks for sharing that. TV, and reporting has changed a lot in the last 20 years; can you imagine what it must be like to go through a situation, such as yours, now. The media is extremely aggressive. I won't bother to watch, but most of us get pulled into the grief, and will watch, and the networks know this, and so it is the battle for the ratings all over again.

 

[dark_shadows]

The media was warned about contacting the families.

 

[Buzz Mills]

The media was warned about contacting the families.

d_s, it appears that Katie, and Larry, managed to clear that barrier.

 

[Ca-Sun]

Maybe it's because the family members are being hounded day and night by media people!

Or maybe they are thinking that since this story grew to global proportions, that people world wide were praying for their loved one(s), that they want to try to be as gracious as possible!

Why do people have to question *why*?

Thank you, Liz. I like the way you think. If this is what they want to do, so be it.

 

[Hms]

Hms, I don't smoke, and would never drive without my seatbelt on. Fast food, on rare occasions. If we didn't have a war to fight, and weapons to build, the country would probably still be in a depression.

These are changing times and the changes aren't all positive. One of the things we are going to constantly contend with, from here, into the future, is how government monies are allocated. Most police departments are understaffed at this time; all due to budget deficits. Violent crimes are increasing at an alarming rate. The prisons ar overcrowded, either more prisons are built, or they need to begin releasing even the more hardened criminals, as they don't have room for them. Schools are suffering because of state shortfalls. Parks used to be free, and now they all charge entrance fees. Even California is going to have toll lanes in the near future. When the Federal Government runs up such huge deficits, it puts a squeeze of all monies that would typically go to the states. Everyone is beginning to feel the pinch in a thousand different ways. This problem isn't going to go away, but it is going to get a lot worse in the not too distant future. Costs are going to be a concern with us, evermore so, as time goes on. It's a sign of the times.

So, you can honestly say you have never participated in any activity that could cause you harm, inevitably causing your family grief? I wasn't only referring to smoking, not wearing your seatbelt, or eating fast food. There's millions of activities that cause harm, no matter how rare of a occurrence it is. Another example, amusement park rides! My point simply was that we all have and do participate in activities that could potentially cause us harm!

Would it really be such a bad thing if we were still in a depression? Obviously for people who use money as the key to happiness, but maybe not for those who believe it's the simple things in life that bring the greatest joy! I personally know a lot of people who would be considered "poor" but you know what they're rich at heart. They are some of the happiest people I know.

Also, a large portion of our deficit is because of the war. I could give my opinion on this subject but I won't since it is such a touchy subject.