HOOD RIVER, Ore.-
With the hopes of one family shattered and those of two more on hold, searchers prepared to again head up Mount Hood on Monday seeking two remaining climbers missing for more than a week.
The discovery Sunday of the body of one of the three in a snow cave not far from another snow cave where climbing gear was found earlier in the day brought a sad conclusion to a long week of anxious optimism among family and friends gathered here to await news of their loved ones.
Family members had relied on an intense religious faith along with confidence that the extensive mountaineering experience of the trio would save them from a week of blizzard storms and single-digit temperatures that kept search teams and helicopters at bay on the treacherous north side of Oregon’s highest mountain.
Pete Hughes, of the Hood River County sheriff’s office, the lead agency in the search, said Monday’s effort would center on possible descent routes on Eliot Glacier and Cooper Spur, relatively lower levels of the mountain, in case the other two got down that far. He said the identity of the dead climber was expected to be released Monday.
“Eliot Glacier is real dangerous so we will do that by air only,” Hughes said Monday. “It’s a bad avalanche area with crevasses. There are still people in crevasses that have never been recovered.”
At 7 a.m., Monday, search teams will meet with the Chinook recovery team to get the body, Hughes said.
The first weather break was Saturday but it turned foul by afternoon. Sunday was sunny and clear with diminished winds, perfect search weather.
Searchers found a snow cave Sunday near the spot located by cell phone signals traced from Kelly James, 48, of Dallas, Texas, who made a four-minute call to his family a week ago Sunday just below the summit of the 11,239-foot glacier peak. He told his family the climbing party was in trouble and that the other two had headed back down, apparently for help. He may have been injured.
The body was found in a second snow cave near the first cave. Rescuers found two ice axes, a sleeping bag or pad and rope in the first. It was not known if any gear was in the second cave.
“We remain hopeful,” said Capt. Mike Braibish, spokesman for the Oregon National Guard. “We are going to still collect information and pursue the rescue of the two other climbers.”
The body remained on the mountain Sunday night because darkness made it too dangerous to retrieve, rescue workers said.
Near the first snow cave, helicopters had spotted rope that had been intentionally laid out in a Y-shape, which climbers often use to indicate their location. There was also an ice spike and footprints, apparently headed up the mountain, said Sgt. Gerry Tiffany, a spokesman for the Hood River County sheriff’s office.
Searchers dug through the first cave to ensure no one was there and took the equipment, which will be examined for clues. The second cave with the climber’s body was found a short time later.
It was not immediately clear which cave was occupied first, or why or when the climber, or climbers, in it decided to move.
Weather conditions have been harsh since the three were reporting missing, with heavy snow and wind gusts of up to 100 mph. The snow stopped Saturday, but wind up to 50 mph blew the fresh snow, hampering visibility.
There has been no communication since a week ago Sunday when James made the cell phone call, and none since the climb began from Brian Hall, 37, also of Dallas, or Jerry “Nikko” Cooke, 36, of New York City.
Braibish said Sunday that the families gathered here had been told that one fatality was confirmed but that there was no positive identification.
