One Body Found On Mt. Hood

Authorities Say Body Was In A Second Snow Cave Near Peak

(AP)  Rescuers looking for three missing climbers on Mount Hood found a body Sunday in the area where one of the climbers made a distress call a week ago, authorities said.

The dead climber had not yet been identified, said Pete Hughes, a spokesman for the Hood River County Sheriff's Office. The victim was believed to be one of the three missing climbers, authorities said.

The body was found in a second snow cave near another snow cave where rescuers found a sleeping bag, ice axes and rope, officials said.

Rescuers would be coming off the mountain early Sunday evening and will review the information gathered today before making tomorrow's plans, said Capt. Mike Braibish, spokesman for the Oregon National Guard.

"We remain hopeful," Braibish said. "We are going to still collect information and pursue the rescue of the two other climbers."

Near the first snow cave, helicopters had spotted rope that had been intentionally laid out in a Y-shape, which some rescuers said is commonly used by climbers to indicate their location. There was also an ice spike and footprints, said Sgt. Gerry Tiffany, spokesman for the Hood River County Sheriff's Office.

Searchers dug through the cave, about 300 feet below the summit, to ensure no one was there and took the equipment, which will be examined for clues.

Weather conditions have been harsh since the three were reporting missing eight days ago, with heavy snow fall and wind gusts of up to 100 mph. The snow stopped Saturday, but wind up to 50 mph blew the fresh snow, hampering visibility. Skies were blue Sunday, the wind was still, and temperatures at the 11,239-foot summit were reported near zero degrees.

There has been no communication from Kelly James, 48, of Dallas, 37-year-old Brian Hall of Dallas, or 36-year-old Jerry "Nikko" Cooke of New York City since Dec. 10, when James used his cell phone to call his family. He told them he was sheltering in a snow cave while his companions started back down the mountain, apparently to get help for him.

The last clue to their whereabouts was a brief signal returned from James' cell phone Tuesday.

It is not yet known how the body will be brought down from the mountain. "We need to determine the safest way to make a recovery," Tiffany said.