Posted on 12/18/2006 5:50:25 AM PST by randita
December 17. 2006 11:50PM
Raceland man informed his brother died on Mount Hood
A Raceland man was told by authorities tonight that his brother’s body was the one rescuers found during a search for three missing climbers near the summit of Mt. Hood in Oregon.
Ben James traveled to Oregon Friday to join other family members as they awaited word during a search often thwarted by difficult conditions.
He said his brother, Kelly James, a Texas architect, was an experienced climber.
Ben James said he was told the body was found in an ice cave that he was building for protection from the elements, not far from another that he had occupied when making distress calls.
The search for the two other missing men is expected to continue Monday, James was told.
The Daily Comet and The Courier will have details in Monday's editions.
By John DeSantis Senior Staff Writer The Daily Comet and The Courier
Not being a climber, why would someone leave an ice cave offering protection from the elements to build another one elsewhere close by? Hyposia? Hope of it being seen from above?
Why would the other two climbers leave their fellow climber that was having serious problems behind while they continued on? Is the climb more important than someones life?
There is only amateur speculation at this point as to the two caves, why the climbers were separated, etc. The sheriff is holding a news conference at 9 AM today (PST) and will supposedly address some of these issues.
The body of James will be airlifted off the mountain today, weather permitting. Perhaps he left a note explaining the situation. Perhaps there are clues in and around the two caves which would help piece together the series of events. Only the authorities know.
I've been following this story closely and at this point, information is being held very close to the vest by authorities and the search will continue for the remaining two climbers, who are assumed to be still alive until evidence is found to the contrary.
bttt
Kelly James was said to be "delirious" by his son after his first phone call a week ago (Sunday).
It's hard to fathom how he got that way in only two days. They climbed on Friday and made it 300 feet from the summit, so he must have been OK then.
And someone had the wits to build a snowcave and the "Y" marker. Not something a delirious person would do. Did his partners help him and then go looking for help? Seems odd. Was the first snowcave built for 1 or 3 people?
Kelly was clearly not immobilized, since he apparently bailed from the cave and made it to the summit (I'm guessing they found him in the second "cave" right at the summit ridge, but in more of a trench than a cave).
So if he had that kind of will and stamina after X days in the first cave, why did his partners leave him?
This whole thing is very mysterious.
I'm going to take a guess here: in Kelly's Sunday comments to his son Jason he said that Brian was "in town looking for help" and that Nikko was "on an airplane". This is clearly delerium, probably brought on by dehydration and hypothermia during the course of building his snowcave (which would have taken many hours on Saturday). If the snowcave was built by and for one person only, it was because Brian and Nikko were already gone.
Did they fall, leaving Kelly alone? Is that what he was hiding from his family on Sunday?
I know that sounds weird. But nothing is adding up here.
"why would someone leave an ice cave"
I'm guessing he was losing patience from being alone in the first cave, had a localized break in the weather that allowed him to reach the summit, but then found that summit winds were simply too much, so started a second snowcave just over the summit ridge.
I've been 50 feet short of a summit in 20-30MPH winds, then reached the top only to find 80-100MPH near-continuous.
"Why would the other two climbers leave their fellow climber that was having serious problems behind"
We don't know that.
My working *theory* is that Nikko and Brian had taken a fall during the Thursday/Friday climb, leaving Kelly alone just short of the summit (see my #7 above).
But that's just a theory and I hope to God it's wrong.
I've read similar speculation - that Brian and Nikko met with accidents and Kelly was left on his own. I've not read any information clarifying whether or not the snow caves were built by only one man. My hunch is that rescuers know because if all three had been in and around the snow caves, there would be three sets of different bootprints (esp. inside the caves). If only Kelly's prints were found, then it's obvious he built the caves himself because the others did not make it. Even if you were pressing on for help, you wouldn't leave a team partner all alone to build a snow cave in those conditions. You would help him first.
"Did they fall, leaving Kelly alone? Is that what he was hiding from his family on Sunday?"
Why would he hide from his family? What do you mean?
If the man was delerious he may have tried to harm the two others and they had no choice but to leave the snow cave.
This was an ill advised trek that will leave the families devestated.
To get help they left.
The last article I read indicated they found foot prints continuing up the mountain. Unless there's a call box at the top that doesn't explain it.
"Why would he hide from his family? What do you mean?"
His son indicated he was not being completely forthright about his situation.
"Consider too the altitude. One man flew in from NY."
Yeah, 11,000 feet might induce altitude sickness. That's true.
"Even if you were pressing on for help, you wouldn't leave a team partner all alone to build a snow cave in those conditions. You would help him first."
Agreed. I have a hard time believing they voluntarily left him alone. It doesn't compute.
And he was obviously mobile enough to reach the summit on his own, without axes or belay or anchors.
This man from Brooklyn, sheesh!
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