Posted on 12/18/2006 8:47:53 AM PST by george76
A missing climber found dead in a snow cave on Mount Hood was identified as a Dallas man who had placed a distress call to relatives a little more than a week ago, a person close to the family said Monday.
Searchers found the cave Sunday near the spot located by cell phone signals traced from Kelly James, who made a four-minute call to his family Dec. 10 just below the summit, said Jessica Nunez, a spokeswoman for the climber's family.
On Monday, a recovery team was expected to retrieve the body, which remained on the mountain over night because darkness made it too dangerous to retrieve. The search for two other climbers also was to resume on the treacherous north side of Oregon's highest mountain.
His body was found in a second snow cave near the first, about 300 feet below the summit. Rescuers found two ice axes, a sleeping bag or pad and rope in the first. It was not known if any gear was in the second cave.
Monday's search would center on possible descent routes on Eliot Glacier and Cooper Spur, relatively lower levels of the mountain, in case the other two got down that far...
"Eliot Glacier is real dangerous so we will do that by air only," Hughes said Monday. "It's a bad avalanche area with crevasses. There are still people in crevasses that have never been recovered."
Searchers dug through the first cave to ensure no one was there and took the equipment, which will be examined for clues. The second cave with the climber's body was found a short time later.
It was not immediately clear which cave was occupied first, or why or when the climber, or climbers, decided to move from it.
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
Did you see this? Autopsy reports say that James died of hypothermia. The autopsy results on James also showed that he had no disabling injuries and that he had been dead for several days before his body was found. Dehydration may have been a contributing factor in his death and tests are being done to try to make a determination.
What about the reported dislocated shoulder? So he was not physically injured after all?
http://www.katu.com/news/4973936.html
Most recent update from The Oregonian:
"Lewman said that during an autopsy on James on Wednesday, neither a physical exam nor X-rays revealed any broken bones or dislocations. [Dr.Larry Lewman, Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office]
Wow--Now I don't know what to think?????
It certainly is puzzling.
From Oregonlive.com
>>Climber James died of hypothermia, had been dead several days
Kelly James, the 48-year-old landscape architect whose body was recovered from a snow cave on Mount Hood Monday, died of hypothermia, said Dr. Larry Lewman of the Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office.
Lewman said that during an autopsy today on Jame, neither a physical exam nor X-rays revealed any broken bones or dislocations. Searchers and rescue officials did believe that James had a dislocated left shoulder, most likely during the ascent of the mountain.
"He might have had some sprains that you might not be able to document,'' Lewman said.
Lewman said it appears that James probably died not too long after he spoke to relatives by cellular phone Dec. 10.
Lewman said it appears that James was also dehydrated, but that the results of chemical tests to confirm that are still pending.
James, from Dallas, Texas, along with 37-year-old Brian Hall, also of Dallas, and New Yorker Jerry "Nikko" Cooke, 36, set out to scale the summit of Mount Hood on Dec. 8. James' body was found by searchers Sunday, and transported to the state medical examiner's office Tuesday.
– Stuart Tomlinson <<
I think this explanation still fits in with the scenario of them having trouble descending and his seeing his friends lost. If he was hypothermic by 12/10, his ramblings would make some sense. But... if he died shortly after that call, how did the Tuesday cell phone turn on happen?
You would have to get a better definition of what "he died not too long after" means. What is "not too long"?
Earlier on this thread I posted that I think James died close to the time the cell phone was turned on, then went off. I think he turned it on as a last act before losing conciousness forever, as a way of reaching out to his family.
I would define that as within the framework of "not too long after". But someone else, including the medical examiner, might be thinking it was within hours or minutes of his conversation with his brother. That might be, but would leave the question of how did the cell phone get turned on sometime Tuesday.
I had no doubt that he died of hypothermia. As to there being no shoulder injury or other injury found, I would say those who found him are the ones who said he did, so they should be quizzed more about it. The possible scenario that there was an accident involving the three, with the other two being lost first and James left alone, is still just as valid.
Thanks for your comments!
Wow, very interesting news! I wonder what made the SAR say he had an "obvious" arm injury? Very puzzling.
Maybe when they find the other climbers, more of the puzzle pieces will fit together.
I think those who said he did have an arm injury would need to be quizzed about why they said that.
I've only heard bits and pieces of the phone call from James. Can you tell me what exactly he said?
Wow!
and they ask why we climb ?
There is a link here on some post with info about the content of the call. It's a few pages back but I don't remember which one. I didn't have time to follow the link.
However. Seems he said some things that were true and others that sounded fanciful, as if he was partly rational and partly not. The gist was he felt very cold and very tired and very wet (I think I just heard there was freezing rain in that storm). He was in a snow cave and the other two and gone for help. He made some weird comments about one of them flying in a plane and the other one going to or already being in town. I don't know the exact wording but it wasn't coherent.
He did not say there had been an accident or that the two had been lost. But he was clearly in trouble and not operating on all cylinders. I think his brother asked him if he was hurt and I believe he said something like, no, but cold, wet and tired.
Thanks. I thought all along he had said he was injured.
I believe he was asked and actually said no. The injury report came from those who found him. Something about his shoulder I believe. That seems strange since it conflicts with the examiner's report. I think he could have been injured and said no when asked, given the state of being he was in. So I don't go by that as proof of whether he was or wasn't.
I am a big ole' baby havin' grown up in the Big Sky country and nearly havin' gotten frostbite on all my fingers and toes when I was a child, but I can still see how this would call to a spirit, easily.
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