Hood Climbers Recount Harrowing Tale

Better Equipment, Electronic Locator, Warm Dog Led To Better Outcome Than Other Hood Mishaps

(CBS/AP)  The three hikers rescued after a long fall and an icy night on Mount Hood said Wednesday their survival techniques included exercising, taking care of each other, and pep talks.

Matty Bryant and Kate Hanlon, both 34, made the rounds of television morning news interviews Wednesday with fellow climber Christina Redl, 26, whose injuries were still apparent from dark bruises around her eyes. Bryant also brought his dog, Velvet, who helped the climbers stay warm as they waited to be found.

Redl estimates they fell 400 to 500 feet.

"I knew we were falling. I didn't think about any disastrous scenario at all. I just knew we were falling and I felt very present in thought. I kept thinking how can I self-arrest?" Hanlon said on CBS News' The Early Show.

All things considered, Redl isn't in bad shape, reports CBS News correspondent Jerry Bowen, with only a minor head injury.

"It looks way worse than it is," she told reporters Tuesday.

"She's in real good condition, considering what she's been through," said Dr. Zane Horowitz of the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. "It's nothing short of miraculous, falling that far, tied to two other people and a dog."

The three climbers set out on Saturday with five other friends — all in their 20s and 30s and from the Portland area — to scale the 11,239-foot mountain, Oregon's tallest.

But as they started their descent in blowing snow Sunday, the three — all roped together with Velvet — went over an icy ledge.

"We had no idea what kind of shape they were in. We still couldn't see very far," another member of the party, Trevor Liston, told co-anchor Harry Smith.

"They fell down an edge. We can't see them, we can't make communication with them, we tried lowering down a rope," one of the party reported to 911.

"How far did they fall?" asked the dispatcher.

"We don't know. We can't find them," was the reply.

The three were better equipped for a mishap in the cold than a party of climbers that perished earlier this winter.

"We used a combination of foam pads to lay underneath us, to insulate us from the snow. Two sleeping bags that were laying over us for some warmth. And nylon tarp to keep us safe from the wind as much as we possibly could," Bryant said on The Early Show.

And they had Velvet, a Black Labrador mix.

"At points she definitely laid on all three of us. Other times she was down at our feet, keeping herself warm as well," Bryant said.

The three also had an electronic locator unit that helped rescuers find them. On Tuesday, two days after the rescue, veteran mountaineers pleaded with state lawmakers not to require them to carry the devices every time they head for the summit.

Some warned that requiring locators would foster passivity among climbers who get into trouble and activate the beacons.

"They will wait for a rescue, and not do enough to rescue themselves," said Leslie Brown, a spokeswoman for Access Fund, a national mountaineering group.

Another said nothing can replace basic common sense when it comes to keeping people safe, and requiring electronic beacons would not be a "panacea."

"Pulling the cord (on a locator unit) doesn't turn the sky black with helicopters coming to pick you up," said Scott Russell, a veteran of numerous search-and-rescue operations. "Self-reliance and knowledge are what's going to keep you alive on the mountain."

Those arguments came as a House panel opened hearings on a bill to require that climbers who intend to go above 10,000 feet on Mount Hood from November through March carry locators that send signals to help searchers find them if they run into trouble.

Republican State Rep. John Lim said he introduced the bill mainly in response to last December's climbing accident in which three out-of-state men perished after they got caught in a blizzard near the summit of Mount Hood.

The legislation received a boost this week when three climbers trapped on the mountain overnight were rescued after they activated a mountain locator unit that led searchers directly to them.

"Certainly the timing was right," Lim told the House committee. "Instead of losing lives, they were able to save lives this time."

Hood River County Sheriff Joe Wampler, who led the December effort to find the three climbers, said requiring all climbers to have locators would cut down on the cost of rescue operations and reduce the risk to volunteer searchers by allowing them to pinpoint the location of missing climbers.

"My allegiance is with the search and rescue volunteers," he said. "As a sheriff, I'm responsible for these guys. Anything I can do to reduce the risk to them, I'm all for it."

In recent interviews, mountaineers who oppose Lim's bill had argued that while it's a good idea for climbers to carry electronic locators, requiring all climbers to do so would infringe on their freedom to pursue the sport without government interference.

In Tuesday's hearing, however, the climbers emphasized the argument that requiring the locators would give many climbers a false sense of security in what is an inherently dangerous sport.

"Mountaineering is all about judgment and making good choices," said Rocky Henderson, a team leader with Portland Mountain Rescue.

[rjmcbs]

does anyone out there read the weather report?next time ask the dog

[tkfisk]

So-- what exactly DOES a "SERIOUS CLIMBER" look like???! Are you an expert on that?? I personally would never do what they did; HOWEVER they WERE PREPARED AND EQUIPPED FOR THE TASK! No one can predict traumatic events-- but I will say that this has a better ending than that of the three that CHOSE to climb WITHOUT the right equipment. They were 'SERIOUS CLIMBERS' with years of experience as well; the choices they made were not so fortunate.

[agnim]

"Hood Climbers Recount Harrowing Tale"

ENDANGER THE LIVES OF RESCUERS AND WASTE SOCIETY'S RESOURCES FOR 5-MINUTES OF INFAMY. LOL

Only in America! Tsk-tsk

[agnim]

One wonders what drugs they were on when they went on what must have been a drug-induced climb?

And yes!
They look more like DRUG-HEADS than 'mountain climbers'! LOL

[house015]

Generally I am against the government poking their noses into people's lives, but I cannot understand the resistance to having to use locator devices. Not only are you helping yourself, you are aiding the potential rescuers that have to hunt you or your carcass down. Those poor people have to risk their lives and spend enormous amounts of MY tax dollars to find climbers in distress. The people fighting them seem to be some awfully selfish people just trying to keep their adrenaline rush "pure".

[cathaleen]

What a selfish group. They should have never done that in the middle of winter and the brave
people that had to risk their lives. It's a shame. They should be fined not put on TV. I don't want to hear their story because they endangered the lives of innocent people.

[bluestardad]

tkfisk; hey dickweed they took the freaking dog for a walk with them. Same mountain people have died on too. Yea I can tell if someone isn't up to the task they have taken on.

[maiingan]

Mt. Hood is notorious for having a large percentage of its surface available for hiking and climbing with low to moderate degrees of technical difficulty; while the entire mountain can provide lethal weather at any time. I'm puzzled by the report of 3 people w/2 sleeping bags. Even on this hike, I would have had everyone prepared with full campout bivvy bags, synthetic insulation of clothes & sleeping bags, and backpacks that would stay on w/gear in the tumble they took. I'm also curious if the best GPS units could have provided closer coordinates for them to report on the calls to 911 they made.

[dmac60]

Absolute selfish IDIOTS. How many times does this same story have to play out before responsibility & accountability kicks in. How about sending the bill to these people . I do not feel sorry for them one bit when they choose to be so careless. If they want excitment and adventure , send them to Iraq.

[oleander8]

All you angry posters sound like a bunch of couch-potatoes that wouldn't walk to the library because they might get hit by a truck. Ridiculous.

[dredre2k]

oleander8: "All you angry posters sound like a bunch of couch-potatoes that wouldn't walk to the library because they might get hit by a truck. Ridiculous."

No, the rest of us just happen to have enough common sense to know NOT to climb snow-blown, dangerous mountains in the middle of winter. Others have died on that same mountain this year, yet some people think they can brave Mt. Hood during the dead of winter time. We're also considerate enough NOT to waste taxpayer dollars... these people should should have to pay the bill for their ignorance.

[dredre2k]

zoe20006: For those who have NEVER experience the challenge of extreme sports, would never understand.

If you want to climb the side of a mountain in winter or do an "extreme sport", that's fine. You should also be expected to foot the bill for your rescue when your extreme sport goes horribly wrong.

[ssporleder]

While it was smart to have had the locating device, wasn't is stupid of BOTH the climbers and those who manage permits to climb in a season where there are sudden shifts in degress of weather?


They should all sign a waiver/contract stating that if they need professional assistance to be rescued, then they have to pay for the services.