Chances of Mt. Hood climbers surviving are grim

PORTLAND, Ore. – It starts with mumbling and stumbling. Then come violent shivers and then, paradoxically, a false sense of warmth that makes some people strip their clothes off. Eventually, they may curl into a fetal position as their muscles go rigid, their skin goes waxy, and their hearts slow down, then stop.

Whether two climbers missing on Mount Hood for more than a week are still alive is not clear. But if they are somehow still hanging on in the brutal cold, perhaps hunkered down in a snow cave, they may be going through what veteran climbers say is a slow, dispiriting assault on both mind and body.

"We are approaching that time when we have to make serious consideration whether we are spinning our wheels," Sheriff Joe Wampler, who is overseeing the search-and-rescue, said today.

A day earlier, rescuers returned to the 11,239-foot mountain to retrieve the body of 48-year-old Kelly James from the snow cave near the summit where he was found dead.

Today, two fixed-wing airplanes flew over the mountain to look for his companions, Brian Hall, 37, and Jerry "Nikko" Cooke, 36. Rescuers are hoping Hall and Cooke "stick their heads up out of their hole and rescue themselves. We want to be there to see that, if that happens," Wampler said.

But the search operation was winding down.

It was unclear whether they two 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.

Avalanche teams planned to use long poles to poke through the 10-foot-deep snow.

Hopes of finding them alive dimmed after officials developed film in a disposable camera found in James' pocket. The pictures, taken as the men began their ascent, show the three had enough gear and provisions for a quick climb up Mount Hood but not for a longer period out in the elements.

The photos show "three happy guys putting their stuff out there," the sheriff said. But "looking what they had with them, I'm pretty concerned about how long somebody can last out there."

Some climbers have survived in a snow cave for as long as 13 days in similarly punishing conditions. But soon hypothermia sets in, and the symptoms include confusion, delirium, hopelessness, loss of coordination and intense shivering.

"The shivering is agony," said Dr. William Long, director of the trauma center at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland. "Once the shivering stops, they have lost the ability to fend for themselves."

The blood begins to lose oxygen and thicken, just as a car's oil congeals in frigid temperatures, he said. "That puts a huge strain on the cardiovascular system," Long said.

Climbers are supposed to dig caves slightly uphill into snow banks, creating a trap for warm air rising from their bodies. A good snow cave will have a ledge to help drain melting snow or ice and a breathing tube that can be readily cleared; the entrance can serve that purpose. And it should be marked, perhaps by a piece of clothing anchored to the ice or a stick, to let rescuers know where to find the climbers.

Experts say it is critical to have fuel and a stove to heat water for drinking. Dehydration can contribute to the effects of hypothermia, and swallowing snow or ice only lowers the body's temperature.

Fran Sharp, president of the National Mountain Rescue Association, said that if Hall and Cooke are still alive in a snow cave, they are struggling to stay dry, digging little grooves in the snow and ice to drain the moisture that accumulates from their body heat. Dampness can contribute to hypothermia.

Relatives of the three climbers clung to hope.

"Our faith in the mind, body and spirit of Brian and Nikko remain steadfast," said Hall's sister Angela.