Weather and avalanche conditions hinder rescue efforts

Illumination Saddle, Mount Hood, OR. Photo: Portland Mountain Rescue

Weather and avalanche conditions are hindering a search today for two overdue climbers on Mt. Hood in Oregon. On Saturday, December 12, members of the Portland Mountain Rescue (PMR) discovered three sets of tracks. Following the tracks near Illumination Saddle led them to discover the body of one overdue climber, Luke Gullenburg, 26, who appeared to have fallen from higher on Reid Headwall. Efforts to search higher on the mountain were frustrated by unstable, avalanche-prone snow conditions.

On Sunday, December 13, snow conditions again hindered ground-based searching on the upper mountain. Air-based searches were conducted by Civil Air Patrol and the Oregon Army National Guard.

Today PMR reports plans to send two reconnaissance teams to assess conditions and possibly climb the South Side route, which the missing climbers had indicated was their planned route of descent. Katie Nolan, 29, and Anthony Vietti, 24 are the missing hikers. Friends and family continue to pray for their safety.

For more information go to: http://www.pmru.org/pressroom/headlines/20091214ReidHeadwall.html
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