Sunday, May 13, 2007

Lost Hikers Found on Mt Hood in Good Condition

Wonderful news that the five people who were lost were located last night around 11:30, and were brought back by a snow cat to Timberline Lodge early this morning. There were no injuries, thankfully, to either the search and rescue teams or the hikers.

There just can't be enough emphasis on the good that a mountain locator unit and GPS coordinates can provide, making these rescues quick and precise. The climbing party consisted of Portland residents Brian Anderson, 24, Ben Elkind, 22, and Jeremiah West, 28, as well as Hillsboro resident Brian Weihs, 39, and Lake Oswego resident Bryce Benge, 29. The hikers were faced with whiteout conditions, wind gusts were around 20 to 30 mph and tempuratures hovering around 20 degrees. If not for the preparation these hikers took when they equipped themselves with a cell phone and a mountain locator unit, things certainly could have turned out quite different.

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Blogging the local Mt Hood area of Oregon. With skiing, snowboarding, hiking, shopping, wind surfing, live bands, resorts, movies, and much more to do, you'll never be bored in the Mount Hood area.