One Climber Found Dead in Second Snow Cave on Mount Hood

Posted on December 17, 2006

Very sad news via FOX:

The body of one of the three climbers who have been missing for 10 days on Mount Hood was discovered in a snow cave late Sunday afternoon.

Rescuers dropped search teams near the mountain’s 11,239-foot summit from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter flown by pilots who had served in Afghanistan and Iraq. The pararescue team members scaled 300 feet down the nearly vertical face of the northeastern face of the mountain to reach a snow cave that was spotted earlier in the day.

The team discovered two ice axes, some rope and a sleeping bag in the cave. The body was discovered in a second cave nearby, officials said.

There has been no word from climbers Kelly James, Brian Hall or Jerry “Nikko” Cooke since Dec. 10 when James made a distress call to family members. A cell phone tower picked up a signal from James’ cell phone on Tuesday that appeared to have originated from the vicinity of the snow cave.

The news is sad that one of these climbers was found dead, but there is also hope in the news that maybe the others will be found before it is too late. There may not be much hope, but anything is possible. Pray for these people and their families.