GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. — As a winter storm barreled toward Mount Hood, rescuers raced to find two experienced climbers missing for four days on Oregon’s highest peak.
A military Black Hawk helicopter spent Monday scanning the upper reaches of the mountain as ground teams fanned out below. But the search ended for the day as darkness fell and the storm approached.
“No sign at all,” said Monty Smith, a member of the Portland Mountain Rescue team aboard the helicopter.
Bad weather has hindered the search for Anthony Vietti, 24, of Longview, Wash., and Katie Nolan, 29, of Portland, who have been missing since Friday.
Overnight temperatures have dipped into the teens. A major storm was expected to hit Monday night, bringing 10 to 12 inches of snow, forecasters said.
Mountaineers found the body of fellow climber Luke Gullberg, 26, of Des Moines, Wash., on Saturday. An autopsy showed he survived a “long, slow” fall and was able to walk and crawl several hundred yards before dying of hypothermia, The Oregonian newspaper reported Monday.
Photos from Gullberg’s camera showed the trio were roped together at some point, but no rope was found with his body.
