Thanks for the pic. It puts it all in perspective.
Yesterday a couple of small search teams headed out to about 7500 ft.
What happened on the mountain isn't known except for conjecture based on James' call, photos the party took, and mute evidence such as two ice axes and a climbing harness.
Wampler said the three climbers "did everything right." But without making specific reference to their plans for a quick, lightly equipped ascent, Wampler said "a minimum climb this time of year is three days, not just one day, three days. You plan on having to stay out there in case something happens."
He said the advice to prepare well for trips applied to travelers of all sorts.
"Never, ever go anywhere ... and not be prepared to spend some time out there, because you might get caught," Wampler said. "Oregon, the Northwest, anytime you get off that highway out here, you're in the wilderness."
Read more
http://www.katu.com/news/4981516.html
That is a fact. I spent some time on another thread (I think it was a thread on the Kim tradgedy) talking about what gets put in my truck at the beginning of winter and stays there till spring...
Too many folks just assume that some rescue service will find them in time for dinner, so they don't plan for the worst. That is always, always the biggest mistake, especially so in the mountains (the desert too, I suppose).
It is always sad, as so many tragedies can be absolutely avoided, and even more could end up much better, just by having the "possibles" one might need.
At the same time, most of what I have contributed to this thread is in defense of the honor of these men.
I don't know them personally, but I do know their kind, and I find it unbearable to believe any scenario which treats these men like the average gumbies that bad things happen to. These guys were professional high-altitude climbers, professional big-wall climbers, professional ice climbers, and therefore professional mountaineers as well.
It could be that they all finally succumbed to the dementia that happens with advanced hypothermia and wandered away from each other, but there is NO WAY they would have split and left him there otherwise. It just isn't done. Can't happen.
It is as dishonorable an assumption as it would be to assume a U.S. Marine would leave a buddy behind, or any number of lesser highly dangerous occupations. Sure, it has happened, but it is the absolutely last choice (in all cases).
The caliber of man that can even begin to attempt what they do is definitely the REAL thing, and it would be unthinkable!
No, something awful happened there, they didn't get "caught", They didn't leave him, and he didn't leave them. Until there is evidence to the contrary, that is really the only explaination that fits.
If they were just "screwed", the optimum course of action would be to dig in together, or make their way back to the big snow-cave together. In the barest sense, the more bodies you have in that cave, the more heat pumps you have.
If they considered themselves equals, they would deliberate together and whatever choice would be made would be made by the three, or the other two would follow the leader without question. If they knew they were screwed, somebody would have called 911 (or etc), called ALL their families, written legacies... There would be evidence of the other two.
-Bruce