Photo courtesy of KGWWe are there again. Last Friday, three very experienced, trained climbers went. None have returned. One body has been recovered, the other two are completely gone. Yesterday there was a huge window of hope because the weather cleared up for rescue efforts and a good scouring of the mountain happened. Not without danger. Certain areas couldn't be accessed because of avalanche danger. No luck. Today, the rescue effort is completely "on standby" because the weather is so treacherous. It is blizzard conditions on the peak right now. I am sad to say, it is hard to hold out hope right now. I am hopeful that the two still on the peak are maximizing every bit of knowledge they have and have found shelter.
Two years ago, three climbers went up. One body was recovered, the other two have never been found. History goes on and on. It happens every few years.
With new technology, here is the rub.....for $5, climbers can rent a beacon so that if lost, they are pinpointed, and found within minutes. I listened on the radio last night to a gentleman who runs a nonprofit that takes kids up Mt Hood in the summer and takes a beacon so parents can watch their kids with a blip on the internet. They can easily be found just by this silly thing. In some states, climbers are required to carry a beacon and if they don't, they are financially responsible for their rescue. Trust me, that hits the millions fast. Especially when helicopters are used, which is a must on Mt. Hood.
The climbing community has a different take. They tend to take cell phones, not beacons. The argument is that climbers would take more risks if they had beacons knowing rescue could be there so quickly. I don't get that argument. Simply said, I wear a seatbelt just in case I am in an accident. Do I drive more safely without it? Not really. Do I drive more safely when I know that a cop is around and there might be a monetary fine if I don't drive safely? You betcha. Cell phones are good to a point. In the current search we have, the only information given is that there was a cell phone "blip" on Friday afternoon. It can be triangulated, and that is all. Doesn't help anyone one bit right now.
Do I think we need more superfluous laws in our illustrious state that has far too many of those already? No. But as a taxpayer, I am torn. We are shutting down schools, forcing furlough days on state employees, and have one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. I think these rescues are too expensive for us to not ask for some kind of compensation, or ease in how to rescue folks. Do I think a life is worth this Herculean effort? Absolutely. It would be nice to have the beacon, make one trip up the mountain in a helicopter, and bring down the climbers in one afternoon. Not three days of frustrating, fruitless searching.
At this point, the issue is a standoff. Here is my proposal, please weigh in.
1) Let's not make laws yet.
2) Climbers.....please take beacons, not just cell phones. Please. I am asking you to "police" and self regulate yourselves. Please let people know you have a beacon. Even if you just list it as your equipment when you check in. Or check this out, take my new fancy cell phone. It has gps on it, and I can be found with that because my phone is basically a beacon. It isn't hard, but boy, the results of not having one is heart-wrenching and expensive.
Why? Because taxpayers won't do this for much longer. We can't afford to lose you, and our state can't afford it financially. Such a difference between sending up a rescue helicopter and finding climbers in one afternoon as opposed to days and days of searching, and in some cases never finding anyone....ever again.
5 comments:
Sadly, AM, I'm afraid that no change will really happen unless there is a law requiring the beacons. Do we even have a requirement for climbers to register and make their planned route known? I don't know. This kind of thing makes me more angry than sad. People take their lives and lay them on the line and then expect everyone to make every rescue effort.
I agree that it is tragic - and I suppose I would agree that a life is worth this rescue effort - but I am hard-pressed to reach that intellectual conclusion.
I am afraid the law is coming as well. If it saves lives, at a fraction of the cost....it makes sense. I heard on the radio an interview with a rescuer saying that there is a registration as climbers "check in" before heading up the mountain, but it is a good faith registration. It's not required.
I am with you. I get tired of the mountaineering community wanting this loosey goosey kind of attitude at huge taxpayer expense when the solution is simple.
I have thought on this several times since first reading it a few days ago. If climbers and their families expect a rescue mission to be available, then they should be willing to make that rescue as easy as possible for the rescue team. It is just plain selfish to expect anything else.
AM, I heard a discussion on NPR the other day. The montain rescue personnel claimed that the beacon would not have helped in this case. I don't know if that's actually true or if it's just him sticking to his point that he doesn't want them to be required. He said something like, "I don't want anyone to get the impression that we're all standing around here saying - 'if only there were a beacon up there'. That's not what this is all about." And I get that the weather was more of a factor that prevented the search.
However, I don't believe that a beacon wouldn't have made it more likely that a break in the whether would lead to a rescue.
I agree with you. I have heard that said a lot lately with the recent losses. I don't understand how a beacon could not have helped. Once they found the first man deceased, they had no idea where to search. If the remaining two had a beacon, three to four days of searching would not have happened. That is a long time to search for someone to say a beacon would not have helped. I know the weather was bad, but if rescuers knew where they were, that first day they had the huge window of good weather would have been all that was needed. Until someone can explain that to me, I am for it.
I also have to point out the irony. Starting Jan 1 in the state of Oregon it is illegal to not have on a seatbelt at all times, including private property and parking lots. So the state is forcing us to wear a seatbelt while traveling 10 mph in a parking lot, but not take a beacon on an inherently dangerous mountain climb. I dunno.......seems inconsistent to me.
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