Mount Hood Search On Hold
Rainy weather began moving in around Oregon's Mount Hood on Wednesday, and rescue teams searching for two missing climbers were forced to remain on standby, at least temporarily.
The search for two missing climbers on Mount Hood is all but over, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone. Searchers still have not found any clues about the disappearance of Brian Hall and Jerry "Nikko" Cooke, now missing for 12 days.
The National Weather Service issued a warning for snow and freezing rain most of the day in the Columbia River Gorge, which the mountain overlooks.
Search leaders said they hoped to put planes in the air and had an avalanche team on standby, but no search operations were under way as of 8:30 a.m. PST, said Hood River County sheriff's Deputy Matt English.
"It's really hard to commit because of the weather," English said. He said rain was beginning in the area around the mountain. Forecasters said heavier weather was expected later in the day.
After three climbers were reported missing on Dec. 10, search operations were hampered by a series of storms. When the weather lifted, search and rescue teams found the body of Kelly James 48, on Sunday.
The sheriff's office said in its news release that an avalanche team with search dogs was on standby to resume when the "the search area is considered safe and weather permits." Mountaineers said the storms have made the snow unstable and put rescuers at some risk.
Hood County Sheriff Joe Wampler said abandoned equipment, photos and notes left behind indicate the two men are likely in a small but treacherous portion of the mountain known as "the gullies."
Wampler plans to organize an avalanche team to poke long poles through 10-foot-deep snow at a glacier, about 4,000 feet below the summit, in an effort to locate the missing men, reports CBS News correspondent Stephan Kaufman.
The area is known for falls. This, as well as avalanche conditions, freezing temperatures and fierce winds over the past week, has lessened hope for the two men.Photos: Search For Oregon Climbers
"This office isn't going to give up until someone tells me the risk of doing this outweighs the results," said Wampler. He said he confers regularly with experts on the survival chances of the men.
But the search has been scaled back, and Wampler acknowledged the time is approaching when the effectiveness of the search and the safety of its searchers need to be re-evaluated.
Film developed from a disposable camera found in James' pocket show the three men had enough gear and food for a quick climb to the top of the mountain, but not for a longer period of time, while exposed to the elements, reports .
Ice axes left in a crude shelter indicate the men had a difficult stay and moved forward without crucial tools.
The snow cave, cut into the ice of a nearly vertical cliff, is the last sign of the two men, who are thought to have left the injured James to seek help. It is possible Hall and Cooke were swept off the mountain by 100 mph winds, were buried in last week's blizzards or created a shelter for themselves by burrowing into the snow and sharing their body heat, as climbers are trained to do.
Search teams made a full-scale attack of the mountain over the weekend. But the search was scaled back to two air teams Tuesday and the rest of the crews were put on standby.
"We are approaching that time when we have to make serious consideration whether we are spinning our wheels," said Wampler.
"This is probably the largest mountain search and rescue, and complex one, that I remember in some many, many years," said Bill Pattison, a member of the Crag Rats, a rescue group that has helped in the search.
He called Tuesday a "solemn" day for the families as the likelihood of finding the men alive greatly diminished. Two friends of the families flew over the mountain Tuesday, which Pattison characterized as a "farewell" flight.
"Our faith in the strength of the minds, bodies, and spirits of Nikko and Brian remain steadfast," declared Brian Hall's sister Angela.
But family members' words of hope are fewer and farther between. Wampler said they understand the need to reassess the search soon.
Crews, including a helicopter, avalanche team and climbers remain on standby, but "the big search is over," he said.
However, the Blackhawk helicopter "can be on the mountain in 20 minutes if needed," said Oregon National Guard Capt. Mike Braibish.