Des Moines man, 26, loved the thrill of climbing; 2 still missing

Luke Gullberg reached the top of Mount Rainier this summer and was on his way down when a climbing partner reminded him of his promise to take a picture of himself at the summit for his girlfriend.

Gullberg didn't hesitate. He turned back around and climbed to the top again, where he waved for the camera.

It was no surprise to his girlfriend, Mandy Sauerlender, that Gullberg would go extra lengths to get the picture he promised her.

"I have that picture sitting on my desk right now," she said.

Gullberg, 26, of Des Moines, died on Oregon's Mount Hood over the weekend while attempting to climb an especially treacherous face of the mountain with two companions.

"It's just heartbreaking for everyone," said Sauerlender, who was expecting a visit from Gullberg this Thursday to celebrate her graduation from film school at Biola University in Southern California.

Rescuers on Oregon's Mount Hood recovered Gullberg's body Saturday at about the 9,000-foot level.

Gullberg's equipment was found scattered around the glacier, including a camera with at least 20 photos of the climbers. Crews have looked over the photos for landmarks and other clues to the location of the two missing climbers — Anthony Vietti, 24, of Longview; and Katie Nolan, 29, of Portland.

After eight inches of snow fell on the 11,249-foot mountain overnight Saturday, avalanche dangers in the higher elevations Sunday made a rescue mission on foot for Vietti and Nolan too risky. Searchers used a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter to try to spot them.

At nightfall, search crews ended operations for the day with plans to evaluate options this morning, said Jim Strovink, spokesman for the Clackamas County sheriff.

Officials had not given up hope that Nolan and Vietti could be found alive, calling them experienced climbers. Strovink said he didn't believe the climbers had a shovel, which could be used to build a snow cave to keep them out of the elements. But, he said, "They were well equipped otherwise."

The climbers did have a cellphone that was briefly activated about 1:30 a.m. Friday as they were leaving Timberline Lodge to begin their ascent, Strovink said.

Relatives of the three climbers were gathered at the ski lodge, on the flank of Mount Hood and a staging area for the rescuers, to await more news. They were comforted by Dennis Simons, a nondenominational volunteer chaplain for the police and fire departments in nearby Sandy.

"They are grieving and hoping," he said.

The climbers, all Christians, met through church activities, Simons said.

Friends described Gullberg as a generous, fun-loving man who was deeply involved in his church. He was a talented photographer and videographer, and enjoyed the thrill of climbing mountains, they said. "After his family and friends, he loved the mountains most of all," Sauerlender said.

Gullberg had been a climber for about 10 years, said his friend Danny Clements, of Seattle. He had climbed many of the mountains in Washington, and reached the top of Mount Rainier several times.

"He just always loved the thrill," Clements said.

Although Gullberg was an experienced climber, his plans to climb Mount Hood in December made some friends nervous.

"We all saw him last week, and we said, 'Luke, this is a bad idea'" because of winter storms and avalanche danger, Clements said.

But another friend, Garreth Whiteley, of Ellensburg, said glaciers can also be more stable in winter. Still, he said, "It's a mountain. It's always icy and treacherous."

Gullberg, who was working as a salesman at an REI store in Tukwila at the time of his death, majored in English at Central Washington University. He went to work for REI because he wanted to make the most of the company's deep discounts to employees so that he could amass climbing gear, said a friend, Ashlee Grant.

Gullberg had talked of becoming a teacher, and had done some substitute teaching in college, Sauerlender said. "He was thinking of ways he could help people out," she said.

Gullberg attended and later became a camp counselor at Lakeside Bible Camp. He was also a member of a church youth group, and his life was centered on Christ, Grant said.

He was very close to his mother, Karen, and helped hold the family together when she was battling cancer; his mother died about two years ago, Grant said.

"He was one of the most unselfish friends I've ever had," she said.

Clements said Gullberg enjoyed taking photos and videos during his climbs.

On Sunday night, he was planning to have a "white elephant" beer exchange, Clements said — a typically creative idea from Gullberg, who had asked his friends to scour stores to come up with interesting beers to share.

"In his 26 years on Earth, he experienced more than most people can hope to," said friend Whiteley.

"While it hurts horribly that he is gone, he died doing something he truly loved," Sauerlender said.

Gullberg's father, Rod G. Gullberg, is a researcher for the Washington State Patrol, which released this statement: "We know that Rod and Luke were close as father and son, and as climbing partners. Words cannot express the sorrow we feel."

Gullberg is survived by his father; his brother, Scott; and his sister, Rebekah.

Material from The Associated Press was included in this report. Seattle Times staff reporter Sharon Chan contributed to this report.

Katherine Long: 206-464-2219 or klong@seattletimes.com