And the snow falls.
4 senseless deaths in Oregon because of poor decision making skills which are not uncommon when hypothermia and dehydration sets in. YOu can see the same behaviors in Nevada in July as east coasters traverse the great expanses of Nevada with insufficient water. They become confused and disoriented and will die if a more sane person does not intervene.
None of these four set out to die, no one ever does. It was just a combination of poor planning, not accumulating the right information before taking off and just plain bad luck.
Mt Hood was a beautiful white beacon set against a sunny blue sky when I was in Portland two weeks ago. That image would be very inviting to a climber. Unfortunately they either did not see the weather reports, or blew them off as incorrect when predictions were made that a 100 year storm was coming in from the southwest. Winds in Olympia peaked at 80 mph during that storm, in Vancouver they hit over 80 mph. On that mountain, I am certain they were well in excess of 100 mph when the three climbers realized they had made a very very serious mistake. those temperatures, blinding snow and sub zero temps will take the life right out of you if you do not move quickly to protect yourself.
I ride and accept the inherent risks. My wife refers to my hobby as my mistress. If I am not home, she knows I am out riding or in the garage getting the burgandy beauty ready to ride. She embraces my chosen hobby because it relieves the stresses of everyday life. Can I predict when an inattentive driver is goiing to make a left hand turn in front of me,...not really, but I do take as many precautions as I can to react and possibly prevent an accident should it occur. I travel as prepared as I can be and get off the road when conditions dictate I should, most of the time. There have been a few instances over the 30 years I have been riding when I evaluated the situation and made the conscious decision to continue when I probably should not have.
I know many that have had accidents and were busy working with insurance companies and replacing totalled bikes from hospital beds because they were consumed by this crazy sport. I do feel for the families, but I am sure, being from that part of the country, that these same families see this as an avoidable tragedy that was putting rescuers in harms way. The Air Force had their infrared heat seeking C-130 circling the mountain for days. The Blackhawk helicopters were up whenever weather allowed. A heroic effort was made, but in the end, Mt Hood claimed yet more unprepared victims.
There is a reason some mountains are closed to climbers during certain times of the year. The thrill of the sport overrides their ability to see the true risks.
