The Hood to Coast Run is Tomorrow

Billing itself as the "Mother of all Relays" the 29th annual Hood to Coast Relay is scheduled to take place tomorrow, with 12,000 runners gathering to take part in the event. The run begins at the Timberline Lodge, located at 6000 feet, on Mt. Hood in the state of Oregon and ends in the town of Seaside on the Pacific Coast, covering 197 miles in the process.

The Outside Blog, who tipped me off to this story, says that for the past 12 years this event has filled it's quota of 12,000 runners on the first day that registration opens, so clearly it is a fun and popular race. The teams will set off from the start line in waves, beginning at 6:30 AM and the last team won't get underway until 6:45 PM. The course is divided into 36 legs, which range in distance from 3.6 to 7.4 miles, and each member of a team is expected to run at least three of the legs. Teams consist of 8 to 12 runners, who will cover the entire course over the two days of the weekend.

Looks like a lot of fun! Check out the trailer for the Hood to Coast movie below.




Hood To Coast Movie Trailer #2 of for Race Website from HoodToCoastMovie on Vimeo.

Mt. Hood Update: Rescue Turns To Recovery

Sad, but not entirely unexpected, news from Mt. Hood, where it was announced yesterday that rescue efforts were being abandoned for two missing climbers, as hope faded that they could be found alive. SAR teams called off efforts to locate Katie Nolan and Anthony Vietti, who have been missing since last Friday, when they, along with companion Luke Gullberg, set off to make an ascent on Hood. Gulberg's body was later found at 9000 feet on the Reid Glacier, but no sign of Nolan or Vietti has been discovered.

Weather and avalanche conditions have made it difficult for search parties to comb the mountain. Storms have hit the area hard since Monday, with more than two feet of snow dropping on the mountain. Whiteout conditions added to the challenge, and kept rescuers away from Hood for two days, while they waited in vain for the weather to break.

We have begun to learn a bit more about what happened to the trio while climbing the mountain thanks to clues found on Gullberg's body. Cell phone photos seem to indicate that there was an accident along the way and that Nolan may have been injured. It appears that while Vietti stayed behind with her, Gullberg elected to climb down the mountain to seek aid. He feel on his descent, suffering relatively minor injuries, but later succumbed to exposure.

This bring a sad ending to a story that we've all been hoping would turn out well. Lets keep the families of these climbers in our thoughts, especially as we head into the holiday season.

Mt. Hood Update: Bad Weather Hampers Efforts

A quick note to update everyone on what's going on out in Oregon, where two climbers remain missing today, after failing to return from a summit attempt on Mt. Hood last Friday. Search and Rescue efforts have been further hampered today with the onset of inclement weather, which has resulted in whiteout conditions on the mountain.

SAR teams continued to search for Anthony Vietti and Katie Nolan yesterday, employing the use of several helicopters, but so far to no avail. Vietti and Nolan's companion Luke Gullberg was found dead on the Reed Glacier on Saturday, but there has been no sign of them as of yet. Gullberg's body was located at about 9000 feet, and search teams have been wary of going higher on the mountain due to fears of avalanches thanks to recent snowfall. More snow fell over night, and is expected to continue for some time.

For the latest update, check out the video below. Keep your fingers crossed folks. Miracles do happen as we've seen in the past.

Search Continues For Two Missing Climbers On Mt. Hood

By now, I'm sure most of you are aware of the on going search for two missing climbers on Mt. Hood in Oregon. Early in the morning last Friday, Anthony Vietti, age 24, and Katie Nolan, 29, set out with their friend Luke T. Gullberg, 26, to climb the 11,249 foot mountain. They failed to return as scheduled on Friday afternoon, and SAR teams went into action on Saturday, discovering Gulberg's body on the Reid Glacier, located at roughly 9000 feet. There has been no trace of Vietti or Nolan however.

Search and rescue operations have been hampered by poor conditions on the mountain, which has quite a bit of snow already this season, and the chances of an avalanche are quite high at the moment. Helicopters have been brought in to aid in the search today, one of which is equipped with thermal imaging sensors. But bad weather is in the forecast, which has added an even bigger sense of urgency to the operations.

Authorities say they discovered a digital camera on Gulberg's body, and it provides some clues as to the location of his friends, but they say getting to that part of the mountain may be challenging. The trio also failed to properly fill out their climber's registration form properly, and gave conflicting reports to friends as to which route they were taking to the summit.

Lets hope the two remaining climbers are found safe and sound. Keep your fingers crossed folks!

For the latest info on the search watch the video below:

Climbing For Kids

Steve Sergeant from The Wildebeat posted about Climbing For Kids in the comments section on the Summit For Someone post I made last week, and I've been meaning to follow up on it ever since.

Much like Summit For Someone this is another organization that organizes climbs to raise money for at-risk youth. Sponsored by Bay Area Wilderness Training the Climbing For Kids Organization will send you out some impressive climbs including Rainier, Whitney, Hood, Shasta, and even Mt. Orizaba in Mexico.

The amount of fundraising you'll have to do to join the climbs varies by each mountain, but generally falls into the $3200-$3800 range, with the exception of Orizaba, which clocks in at $7500. For your efforts, you'll get to join one heck of a great adventure and get the satisfaction of knowing that you helped raise money for underprivileged at-risk youth. Oh, and did I mention you'll also get to go home with $1500 worth of gear?

This is another great cause, and one that is well worth your time. If you were already considering one of these climbs in the near future, why not join the group? The gear alone is well worth it.

Special Thanks to Steve for sending this my way. And be sure to check out his WildeBeat Podcast. It's excellent stuff with great tips for backcountry exploration and timely topics ranging from the environment, changing policies in our national parks, and a host of others. I highly recommend it.

Updated: Breaking News: Climbers Missing on Mt. Hood

CNN.com has breaking news that two climbers have gone missing on Mt. Hood. The two climbers, who are described as "experienced" were due back yesterday afternoon, but failed to answer calls to a cell phone and have not reported in any other way.

To make matters worse, blizzard conditions moved in early this morning, which will hamper search and rescue operations. While the pair's vehicle is still in the parking lot at the Timberline Lodge, authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the men may have left with other climbers, although it does seem a bit unlikely.

I'll post updates as they become known. Search teams were being organized to begin scouring the mountain, but it's too early to report beyond that. Keep these men and their families in your thoughts.

Update: The climbers are alive and well and making their way down the mountain. They used their cell phone to call home and let everyone know that they spend the night in a snow cave, and will be home soon. Great news!

Climbers Stranded On Mt. Hood

The Adventurist and Blogging Mt. Hood are both reporting this morning that five climbers are stranded on Mt. Hood at about 9800 feet. Jason, over at the Adventurist, says that they are in contact with the authorities via cell phone.

The climbers also have tracking devices and GPS devices, which allows rescue teams to know where to find them, as a resuce attempt will be mounted today. The team was believed to have dug a snow cave to wait out the night on te mountain.

I'm sure we'll be hearing more on this story as the day goes along. For now, we'll just have to watch, wait, and hope for the best. More as it becomes available.

Update: The climbers on Mt. Hood have all been rescued and brought down safely. No injuries and everyone is in good health. The Adventurist has the full story.

Mt. Hood Climbers Safe!

CNN.com has a happy ending to report on those three climbers trapped on Mount Hood yesterday. All three climbers, and their dog, are safe and sound and off the mountain this morning.

The three were part of a group of eight climbers on Hood, and were apparently roped together when they slid off an icy shelf and fell to a cliff below, carrying Velvet, a Labrador Retriever mix, with them. The other five members of the group called for rescue from the mountain using a cell phone. The rescue part was organized immediately but high winds and snow in the area delayed any attempt to retrieve them from the mountain.

Later yesterday, they were finally able to get to them and pull them off the mountain, little worse for wear. Rescuers say that two things helped to save their lives, and avoid the disaster from back in December. The first was that they were carrying a locator beacon, which they activated fairly quickly, and the second was that Velvet, the Lab, helped to keep them all warm while they awaitet rescue.

This story is a nice chane of pace from some of the ones we were hearing at the end of the year. The rescue team should be commended for it's excellent work. Great job all around and glad to hear that everyone is in one piece, including Velvet. :)

Mt. Hood Rescue Update

CNN.com has posted an update on the stranded climbers I posted about earlier today. It seems that rescue teams have reached their location and found them, and will now begin the process of assisting them off the mountain.

Great news! It looks like we'll avoid the tragedy of December, and it can't be stressed enough that these climbers were carrying plenty of survival gear, including warm clothing, sleeping bags, and emergency beacons. Those things may have saved their lives, and had the December climbers had them, it might have made a difference as well.

Continue to keep your fingers crossed until they are down, but things are looking good at this point.

Climbers (plus dog) Stranded on Mount Hood

CNN.com is reporting that three climbers and their dog are stranded on Mount Hood. Apparently the two women and a man, set out with their Labrador retriever to summit Mount Hood, and were caught in bad weather, slipped off a ledge and fell to another ledge below.

Resucers report that the team is well equipped, has cold weather gear, and sleeping bags, and are now huddled together for warmth while they await rescue. Weather conditions are not great in the area, and a storm could dump as much as two feet of snow on the mountain today. Mountain rescue teams were waiting until dawn before they could attempt a rescue.

Hopefully we'll hear more about this as the day goes on. Keep your fingers crossed that everything will come out ok. For what it's worth, this sounds like a completely different story from the eventst that occured on Hood back in December, and the fact that they have warm gear will help them a lot. More as it becomes available.

Search Ends On Mt. Hood

CNN.com has just posted the breaking news that the search for the missing climbers has ended on Mt. Hood. The decision came after nine days of searching turned up the body of one of the three missing climbers, while the traces of the other two became increasingly hard to find. With another storm bearing down on the mountain, and chances of survial fleetingly small, Sheriff Joe Wampler decided to call of the search, now calling it a "recovery mission."

I feel incredbly sad for the families of these three men. With the holidays upon us, a tragedy like this one hits home even more. The climbers simply weren't equipped to handle the bad winter weather that has set in for the past ten days, and the likely hood of them being alive has all but vanished. Keep the familes in your thoughts and prayers as we move into this holiday weekend.

Search Continues On Mt. Hood

CNN.com brings us another update today on the two climbers still missing on Mt. Hood. Rescue teams have narrowed their search to a smaller area, and even as they race against time, another storm is bearing down on the region. Brian Hall and Jerry "Nikko" Cooke are still missing, while their companion, James Kelly, was found dead in a snow cave on Sunday.

Even more worrisome, was a camera found on Kelly's body, which contained images of the three men. The pictures showed the equipment they were carrying with them as they climbed, and experts who have seen those pictures say that it would be tough to survive out there for so long with the light gear they had packed. Still, there is hope that they are in a snow cave of their own, or climbed into a crevasse to get out of the weather. Rescue teams haven't given up just yet, as the men could still be huddled in a covered crevasse waiting to be found.

Tragedy on Mount Hood

The search continues for two of the missing climbers on Mt. Hood this morning, even as news comes that one of the three has been found dead on the mountain according to CNN.com. The body of one of climbers was found inside a snow cave late yesterday, but at this time it has not been retrieved from the mountain, nor has the man been identified.

Meanwhile, helicopters and rescue teams are still searching for the other two men, who have been missing since last Sunday. Rescuers reported seeing two sets of footprints in the snow leading away from the snow cave. One set went down the mountain, reportedly in an "aimless circle" while the other set went up to the summit before the tracks were lost altogether.

This is sad news for all of us who have been following this story for the past week, as we continued to hold out hope that these three men would be found alive. It is still possible that one or both of the two other men is still holed up in a snow cave, waiting for rescue, but it's troubling that the two sets of footprints that the rescuers found, went off in different directions. I'm not sure why the two would seperate, or why one of the men would attempt to return to the summit. It's likely we will never know for sure at this point.

My condolences and prayer go out to the families in this sad and trying time.

Update: Fox News is now reporting that the body found on the mountain yesterday has been identified as Kelly James, the man who initially placed a distress call from Mount Hood last weekend. Still no word on the other two climbers Brian Hall or Jerry "Nikko" Cooke as of yet. More as it comes in.

Search On Mt. Hood Resumes, Then Halts

After bad weather the past few days, the search for the missing climbers on Mount Hood resumed today, but according to CNN.com mountain rescue teams have since retreated from the mountain as bad weather near the summit hampered the operations. Air searches are expected to continue throughout the night tonight.

Storm Rages On Mt. Hood, Climbers Still Missing

The latet report on the missing climbers on Mt. Hood from CNN.com is that weather forcasters now say it may be Saturday, at the earliest, before the search can continue. Meanwhile, the familes of the three climbers have come together in Oregon, waiting and hoping that the three have managed to find shelter from the storms that are currently battering the mountain. Wind gusts in excess of 100 MPH are expected today, with blizzard like conditions, which is currently hampering rescue operations.

One ray of hope however, is that a cell phone carried by one of the men was turned on as recently as Tuesday. Cellular company T-Mobile has been working with rescuers to send "ping" signals to the man's cell phone. For awhile the phone was turned off, most likely to conserve battery power, but sometime during the day on Tuesday the phone was switched on briefly, which seems to indicate that the men may be safe, and holed up in an ice cave, waiting out the storm.

I'll post more as it becomes available. Keep those fingers crossed!

Edit: Want reason to hold out hope of a rescue? Then check out this amazing story about three teenagers who survived on Mt. Hood after 13 days in a snow cave. (via The Oregonian)

Thanks Backcountry Blog.

Mt. Hood Rescue Update

Rescue attempts on Mt. Hood have been stymied by the onset of a brutal winter storm. CNN.com is reporting that 100 MPH winds, and heavy snow is expected to blast the mountain today, essentially putting an end to rescue attempts for now. Rescue teams have continued to set up basecamps on the mountain in the event that the weather breaks and they can make a dash up the mountain to continue their search.

The three climbers, who have been missing now since Sunday, were attemtping to make a fast and light climb to the summit of Mt. Hood when they were caught in an unexpected storm. Because they packed light, they didn't have a lot of safety gear or excess equipment with them, which doesn't bode well for them the longer they are on the mountain. There is still some hope though that they are holed up in snow cave and waiting for rescue. Lets hope the storm blows by quickly and rescuers can get back to searching.

Update On Missing Climbers In Oregon

Rescue teams are preparing to resume the search today for the three missing climbers on Mount Hood, but unfortunately the weather isn't cooperating with them. According to CNN.com a massive winter storm is heading for the area by sometime tomorrow, which has given the search teams an even greater sense of urgency. High winds and plenty of snow already on the mountain have hindered efforts so far, and the climbers took a notoriously difficult route on the North side of Hood, which has not helped the search either.

Lets continue to keep our fingers crossed for these men and their families who are anxiously waiting word of a rescue.

Climbers Missing In Oregon

CNN.com is reporting that three climbers have been missing since Sunday on Mount Hood. The men reportedly set off with only minimal gear in an attempt to make a light and fast climb to the summit, but an unexpected snow storm brought blizzard conditions, with high winds, stranding the three climbers on the mountain. One of them used a cell phone to call home to Dallas, TX where he told his family he was stranded in a snow cave, and that the other two men had gone for hellp. Mountain Rescue teams searched all day yesterday without finding a trace of them, and plan to resume the search today.

All three men are reportedly experienced climbers, but their light and fast approach has come back to haunt them. WIthout all the proper gear that they need, it's going to take a small miracle for all three to be found alive. Hopefully they are all safe in a snow cave somewhere, waiting out the storm, which continues to blow on the mountain. With any luck, rescue teams will find them today. Lets keep our fingers crossed for these men, and say a little prayer for their families as well.