[HARRY]

the experts think the other 2 guys are dead. The equiptment they were wearing was all light stuff and NOT the kind of gear to get them through a bad storm.
More BIG storms coming tomorrow.

NOT gonna be a very nice christmas for the families..

HARRY

 

[Snake River Marksman]

Mother Nature shows neither pity nor remorse. I feel for the families, and the hikers. That's gotta be a tough way to go.

 

[Chris K.]

the experts think the other 2 guys are dead. The equiptment they were wearing was all light stuff and NOT the kind of gear to get them through a bad storm.
More BIG storms coming tomorrow.

NOT gonna be a very nice christmas for the families..

HARRY

Although I feel bad when anyone is in trouble or dies, those climbers knew exactly what they were doing. They were self-proclaimed veterans who went up at a time of the year when they knew bad weather was likely. As a matter of fact, they were warned by the Forest Rangers and went up anyway. Now, tax payer money has to be spent and the lives of the rescuers put at risk because of their callousness. These climbers are no different from the California "big shots" who keep building their mansions on the Sierra mountain slopes or forested ravines of California and expect the taxpayers to continually picking up the tab. I presume the families will get the bill for their transgressions? Sorry, but it has to be said.

Nomex suit on.
Chris

 

[Snake River Marksman]

Stupidity is expensive. The hikers paid the largest portion of the tab I'm thinking. The actual dollars spent would have just been wasted elsewhere by the government. The families will be paying for quite some time to come.

It's too bad the rangers couldn't stop them from going, but it's still a semi free country.

 

[Chris K.]

I don't think it's ignorance...

it's arrogance. The same arrogance that thinks they are smarter than the average Joe when it comes to warnings and the same arrogance that thinks they are owed a rescue. The climbers in this case and the houses built in the same fire-ravaged areas (it seems year after year) go beyond what you and I consider a shared-risk and venture into pure taunting of fate.

Chris

 

[Clint M]

We all take big risk every day, I know what these hikers done ( an dmany like them) are way out of proportion, ... Like putting a man on the moon.

Sure will be a sad time every year at Christmas for their family, and kids if they had any

Clint

 

[John in CA.]

Sorry to hear it...........

They probably knew the risks, but somehow thought maybe they didnt apply to them. Either that, or they wanted a close call with death.

Some folks dont feel alive, unless they are going too fast, or strapping on too much danger. Too bad... as it is a selfish way to live, imo. Unless of course the wives and families didnt care, and actually encouraged them to do this "fast ascent to the summit".

But not likely here.

 

[deadasslast2004]

climbers home for the holidays

I hope they went to their eternal home a little farther up that mountain. I am sorry for the loss by the families.

Now on to my point... if they were experienced in this sport then I hope they died doing exactly what they loved doing.

May the good Lord let me die leaning over my favorite Cooper rilfe with fiddleback wood some day!

Chuck if you find me that way...................don't move I might be sleeping. And keep your hands off my rifle until they pronunce me DEAD.

 

[CGSteve]

May the good Lord let me die leaning over my favorite Cooper rilfe with fiddleback wood some day!

Chuck if you find me that way...................don't move I might be sleeping. And keep your hands off my rifle until they pronunce me DEAD.

Quite possibly the best post of the year! That's too funny.

 

[Alan Copeland]

Chuck if you find me that way...................don't move I might be sleeping. And keep your hands off my rifle until they pronunce me DEAD.

Reminds me of the time a friend was helping me move my big tool chest. We had it half way up on the Tommy lift on his pick up, but it was too heavy for the lift. It was rocking back and forth, and Chuck started laughing. I asked what was so funny, and he said that if it fell on me, the drawers would be facing down, and he wouldn't even be able to grab any of my tools.

 

[Dana in Montana]

hey,it CAN happen that way...

A very good friend had been to the range with several guns and when he finished shooting he loaded all his gear in the car,got in behind the wheel,put his key in the ignition.....and had a fatal heart attack.

 

[GonHuntin]

My father passed away in April while we were on a turkey hunting trip......the season didn't open until the next morning, and we hadn't made it to the field yet, but he was sure looking forward to hearing those toms gobble and was enjoying the trip.

He had serious health problems including a history of heart disease and was always afraid he would become disabled to the point that he couldn't take care of himself.......he was talking and joking with us one second and gone the next......would have been better if he had shot a big tom just before he went , but his last day was a good day spent with friends and family......I can think of many worse ways to go......

 

[Dr. Bubba]

We debated this a couple times at the LSSO...

Chuck if you find me that way...................don't move I might be sleeping. And keep your hands off my rifle until they pronunce me DEAD.

when it was your relay. Us say, "Chuck is he just sleeping or dead?" Chuck says, "His score indicates he is dead!" LOL.

DB

 

[deadasslast2004]

wowwwww et tu Bubba!!!!

Leave it to a missle man to blow up a perfectly good thread!
Did you register for the LSSO yet?

 

[Dr. Bubba]

Nope I did not know they had it up.

Leave it to a missle man to blow up a perfectly good thread!
Did you register for the LSSO yet?

Last I checked they had not decided. I imagine that is Easter again.
Oh well.

Thanks for the heads up.
DB

 

[MikeSSS]

Three things to carry: Aircraft tranceiver, GPS, spare batteries.

Listen for a plane talking. Call the plane, tell him your situation and GPS coordinates.

 

[LanceInOregon]

A lot of other people died from that same storm here in the Northwest

But they just did not get the same amount of publicity that these climbers did. A common thread, though, is that all of these people made very bad decisions.

A lot of pepole lost power from that storm, and there were a couple of cases of people being dumb enough to operate gas powered generators inside their homes to provide heat and light. Needless to say, they died overnight of carbon monoxide poisoning. A total of 12 people lost their lives this way, and hundreds more suffered from less than lethal amounts of poisoning. Here is a news story about this:

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/12/19/c3.cr.wastorm.1219.p1.php

Then there were 3 men who went out crabbing, and they stayed out too long, despite the fact that they knew a big storm was coming. As they came into the entrance of the mouth of the Rogue River at Port Orford, huge waves capsized and sank their 43 foot boat. No bodies have been recovered yet.

Here is a link to a new story about this:

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/12/20/d2.cr.boatsinks.1220.p1.php

And another three men were trying to sail a big catamarran from Africa to the boat's new owner in Seattle. They unfortunately were off the coast of Oregon when the storm hit. The capsized boat was found beached near Lincoln City, and there is no sign of any survivors. Here is a news story:

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/16262113.htm

So you see, all of these other people all died from the same winter storm, but never got the same amount of national attention.

People just don't respect nature enough, or don't deal with it properly.

Lance in Oregon

 

[CGSteve]

From experience and seeing it first hand...sometimes there is no way to beat mother nature, despite being over prepared. The best boats, the best gear, the best of anything will always pale in comparison to the uncaring force of nature. She's a machine and she has no conscience...respect her as much as possible, but it will never be enough if she wants you and comes calling.

As for those who are concerned for the rescuers...think of it this way, they would not be rescuers if they did not want the rush of being put into a dangerous situation. The climbers have their method of getting close to(insert deity here). For the rescuer it is a matter of knowing that you are going beyond someone elses edge and putting yourself at the mercy of your equipment with more than just your own life on the line. Knowing that someone else is depending on you to beat the edge is only part of the rush. The other part is completing a successful rescue and living to tell the story when someone asks.

I've been fortunate enough to be surrounded by folks who you would never know are all too willing to put it all on the line for a stranger, and it was never because they had to. It was because they wanted to. It's an odd relationship in that these two groups feed off of the other...it's a sybiotic relationship that is unspoken except for the head nod and a handshake.