Three days after the last contact with a climbing party lost on the treacherous north face of Mount Hood, it was boiling down Wednesday to some discouraging numbers.
High winds. Days passed. Low temperatures.
A finite number of volunteers qualified and available to operate in those conditions on the steep ridges and glaciers of Oregon's tallest peak.
...the missing climbers, bad weather may prevent crews from climbing high enough to rescue them, Hughes said.
"But if anybody is above the 7,000-foot range, we're not going to be able to get to them," Hughes said. "And we're probably not going to be able to get to them by Thursday either, unless there happens to be a break in the weather."
Frozen rain fell on the area late Tuesday night and more bad weather was expected.
"The next 48 hours is not looking very good," Hughes said.
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If they stay in a snow cave and can hydrate properly, they can stay up there for a week. Snow caves will stabilize at around 30 degrees inside temp and are totally windproof.