PORTLAND, Ore.-
The sister of one of the two climbers still missing on Mount Hood said Wednesday she hasn’t given up hope the men will be found, even as officials scaled back the search.
Climbers Brian Hall of Dallas and Jerry “Nikko” Cooke of New York have been on Mount Hood for 12 days. A third climber, 48-year-old Kelly James, of Dallas was found dead Sunday.
Angela Hall said on NBC’s “Today” show that the two men’s considerable experience climbing mountains is just one of the things that gives her hope they are still alive.
“Also, just their strength of spirit, their strong will,” she said.
Hood River County Sheriff Joe Wampler said Tuesday that abandoned equipment, photos and notes left behind indicate the two men are likely in a small but treacherous portion of the mountain known as “the gullies.”
The area is known for falls. Avalanche conditions, freezing temperatures and fierce winds over the past week have lessened hope for the two men.
Angela Hall said authorities have told family members they are attempting to search areas that may not have been previously targeted.
“We continue to be encouraged by what they tell us, which is that they are not stopping,” she said.
Search teams made a full-scale attack of the mountain over the weekend. But the search was scaled back to two air teams Tuesday and the rest of the crews were put on standby.
With more snow on the way, the sheriff’s office said it was possible the search may be completely halted Wednesday. But Wampler said the search effort would continue for the time being.
“This office isn’t going to give until someone tells me the risk of doing this outweighs the results,” he said. He said he confers regularly with experts on the survival chances of the men.
An autopsy on James was tentatively scheduled for Wednesday. Officials have said he had a dislocated shoulder.
Officials said photos taken by James show the team was not well-equipped for a long stay. Ice axes left in a crude shelter indicate the men had a difficult stay and moved forward without crucial tools.
The snow cave, cut into the ice of a nearly vertical cliff, is the last sign of the two men, who are thought to have left the injured James to seek help.
It is possible Hall and Cooke were swept off the mountain by 100 mph winds, were buried in last week’s blizzards or created a shelter for themselves by burrowing into the snow and sharing their body heat, as climbers are trained to do.
“This is probably the largest mountain search and rescue, and complex one, that I remember in some many, many years,” said Bill Pattison, a member of the Crag Rats, a rescue group that has helped in the search.
He called Tuesday a “solemn” day for the families as the likelihood of finding the men alive greatly diminished. Two friends of family flew over the mountain Tuesday, which Pattison characterized as a “farewell” flight.
Family members say their hope remains steadfast, but their words of hope are fewer and farther between. Wampler said they understand the need to reassess the search soon.
Crews, including a helicopter, avalanche team and climbers remain on standby “the big search is over,” he said.
