The holiday weekend on Mount Hood included two back-to-back rescue missions.
The first, on Friday night, involved a climber who ended up in whiteout conditions in a remote area. He called for help and about seven hours later, rescuers made it to him. He was suffering hypothermia.
Portland Mountain Rescue was one of the groups called out to help. Since COVID-19, the volunteer, nonprofit organization has put protective protocols in place. Rescuers don't carpool together, and in briefings, the group tries to keep space between people.
But PMR’s Nick Masten said some of those guidelines can be impossible to follow in an emergency situation like the one Friday.
“We had to get this person warm – and if we were to do the 6-foot spacing thing, we wouldn’t have been able to do our job,” said Masten.
“We put as much into place as what was realistic to apply; however, when it comes to the time you’re actually performing a mission…those guidelines become very difficult to maintain.”
As the group completed one rescue, a call came in for another.
A woman had injured her ankle after getting caught in a small avalanche.
Both climbers are safe.
Masten said these incidents are typical for the time of year with the increasing number of people out. And he said he was encouraged by the climbers he saw this weekend — he said climbers were acting respectfully, responsibly and safely.
“They were very social, too,” Masten said. “It was great – people seemed to be excited to interact with fellow outdoor adventurists.”
But there are also added concerns with accidents on Mt. Hood – added strain on search and rescue organizations, and safety concerns because of COVID-19.
“Throughout the next six months, we might see more of these sorts of missions if people are feeling still kind of cooped up, or…not working as much, and recreating more,” Masten said.
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Department reported there were over 200 climbers on Mt. Hood Saturday.
Masten advises people heading out to the mountain to act conservatively and avoid avalanche-prone areas, especially without the resource of the Northwest Avalanche Center. In March, the organization announced an end to forecasts for the season.
As the weather gets better, PMR and others encourage climbers to use due diligence and make sure they are as self-sufficient as possible — that limits exposure and risk of an accident for both rescuers and climbers.