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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Mar 29, 2010 - 07:20pm PT
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edit - for privacy:
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Mar 29, 2010 - 07:21pm PT
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edit - for privacy.
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snaps10
Mountain climber
Visalia, CA
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Mar 29, 2010 - 07:23pm PT
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Damn,
I'm supposed to be attempting Black Kaweah with Mark right now. I had to bail on the trip because of work issues, he chose Shasta this weekend instead.
Praying for you buddy.
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Kurt Ettinger
Trad climber
Martinez, CA
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Mar 29, 2010 - 07:29pm PT
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Sending out my positive vibes as well. Hopefully Mark is hanging near one of those warm volcanic off-gasing areas where John Muir did many years ago when he was stuck up top.
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Mark Rodell
Trad climber
Bangkok
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Mar 29, 2010 - 07:40pm PT
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Best of luck to all, the two climbers and any involved in a rescue. Mt. Shasta while often a mild climb can, and often does, bear her fangs. If I recall correctly, Vern Clevenger many many years ago had a rough night or two up near the Thumb. Winds rip up there somedays. Again, I wish all involved a safe return.
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snaps10
Mountain climber
Visalia, CA
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Mar 29, 2010 - 08:23pm PT
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Looks like Mark walked out today. No word really on anything other than that.
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Mar 29, 2010 - 08:28pm PT
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Man I hope this turns out for the best.
Best wishes to the other climber and the SAR team, they got a tough one here.
Mucci
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Norwegian
Trad climber
Placerville, California
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Mar 29, 2010 - 09:19pm PT
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the fukin world sometimes spins just contrary to yer strides.
no matter how hard you try, you cannot displace.
im thinking with joy regarding both of these young guys up on that beautiful mountain playing out the middle of their lives.
sans souci.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Mar 29, 2010 - 09:37pm PT
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Debbie was watching the news when I got in from work today and said that the local news reported that one on the mountain had high altitude sickness. I don't know how good that information is, but that's the report locally (at least on that news channel).
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/state&id=7357298
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Mar 29, 2010 - 09:39pm PT
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F*#k! this isn't good.
http://kdrv.com/page/167923
Hang in there dude, the one still up there. Somebody has to go up there. It seems like a SAR team should be able to go up there in a storm, no? It would take a series of camps, but f*#k, try!!!
Things ain't looking good and it sounds like time is limited.
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Dirka
Trad climber
SF
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Mar 29, 2010 - 09:40pm PT
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Best wishes and prayers to him and his kin.
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slobmonster
Trad climber
OAK (nee NH)
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Mar 29, 2010 - 10:30pm PT
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Ugh.
I can't help but remember living at the base of Mt. Washington during the winter of 1994, and receiving a call from the Weather Observatory to: Call MRS (the local Mountain Rescue Service) and NH State Fish and Game. NOW.
Jeremy Haas had just walked through their door, having left his partner Derek Tinkham near the summit of Jefferson.
That was a debacle.
My thoughts are with these guys, both of them, and the hardy folks trying to help.
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snaps10
Mountain climber
Visalia, CA
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Mar 29, 2010 - 10:47pm PT
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I'm mountain rescue, and can tell you, it isn't necessarily up to the MR teams. The agency coordinating the search is the one who gives it a go. We go out training in storms as much as possible, but that doesn't mean they'd let us go out in one.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Mar 29, 2010 - 10:54pm PT
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I hear ya, Snaps, and I had a feeling that's the way it works.
I'm just frustrated, sitting here on a computer while some dude is dying, waiting for help...
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snaps10
Mountain climber
Visalia, CA
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Mar 29, 2010 - 11:07pm PT
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I know what you mean bluering. I was antsy waiting to get called out all day today. They rarely call us to that area (5 hours away) but just the thought that I'm able is killing. Especially when it's a buddy.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Mar 29, 2010 - 11:22pm PT
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It almost begs the question of a need for an independant/unofficial group of qualified people to be ready to respond to sh#t like this. People who aren't bound by 'officials'.
I know I'll get flamed for this, but I'm flamed all the time. And yes, I don't know Shasta, never done it. But with a large 'militia' of capable volunteers with a a sole goal in mind, it would seem that a capable response could be conjured. As I said, large group with good radios, and other equipement, could ascend the mountain establishing many 'safe camps' while others continued on. Daisy chain effect.
If sh#t got bad, go back to last camp, or last camp is in somewhat of an easy distance to retrieve rescuers in distress.
I'm just pissed off and thinking. Flame on.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Mar 29, 2010 - 11:29pm PT
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From a distance of nearly 1,000 km, and given the weather and conditions report, I'd guess that there is high avalanche hazard. That, plus nightfall, high winds, and heavy snow fall, create significant risks for rescuers. They're probably doing everything they can to be ready to move at first light Tuesday, if conditions allow, either on foot or by air.
The rescuers' main challenge is to determine where to look on a large mountain, so that when conditions allow them to look, they can. So they're probably interviewing the climber who got down, learning everything they can about what happened, and where. The only other physical locators they have are his tracks down, which may be snowed and blown over quickly, and (possibly) a signal from a phone, either from yesterday or more recently. Unless Bennett is conscious and has a working cell phone or PLB.
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