January 16,
2008
A pair of climbers who
failed to descend Mount Hood as planned Monday have walked off
the mountain; both are in good condition, search and rescue
authorities said.
The two will be
evaluated for medical problems. They were accompanied by search
and rescue volunteers, according to Tuesday’s Oregon Live.com.
One of the climbers has
tentatively been identified as Justin Votos, 27, of southeast
Portland. His friend’s identity has not been confirmed, but he
is 28. A volunteer searcher told The Oregonian the pair was able
to provide precise GPS coordinates of their location after
finding a Geocache canister hanging nearby. The canister
contained the coordinates, the searcher said. They were about a
half-mile from the road.
The men made cell phone
contact with the girlfriend of one of the climbers. Jeff Sheetz
of Portland Mountain Rescue said the two climbers told the
girlfriend they were moving through the trees. They were not
sure where they were but thought they were in Zigzag Canyon or
one of the smaller canyons off it. Four teams of searchers —
about 20 people in all — headed up in vehicles, then hiked in
from trailheads.
Clackamas County
sheriff’s Detective Jim Strovink said the pair walked out of a
snow cave this morning and called a friend. They said they were
in good shape and were descending the mountain. Searchers think
the men were at about 3,600 feet in the tree line.
News that the climbers
have been located came minutes after whiteout conditions
prompted two teams of searchers to turn back from their ascent
up the mountain.
Eight members of
Portland Mountain Rescue were called to the mountain this
morning but their search efforts have been stalled because of
dangerous conditions, which include heavy snow and wind.
The teams set out at
7:10 a.m. in a Sno-cat, which was to take them to 7,500 feet.
But conditions on the mountain were poor. Strong winds created
whiteout conditions, and the temperature at Timberline Lodge was
hovering around 10 degrees. Visibility was less than 100 yards.
