News / Politics
Time Running Out For Mount Hood Missing Climbers Brian Hall and Jerry Cooke
A day after discovering the body of 48-year-old Kelly James, Hood County Sheriff Joe Wampler told a news conference that the search for Brian Hall and Jerry Cooke was “approaching that time.” With more bad weather expected tomorrow, Wampler is faced with a difficult decision.
“We have to make some serious considerations whether we're spinning our wheels or not. We have talked to the family about that. They know.”
Wampler has hinted that the likelihood of finding the two climbers alive is dimming and he must decide whether risking the lives of search crew members is still a justifiable act.
The three men were reported missing more than a week ago after they began their climb up Oregon’s Mount Hood. Searches found James late Sunday holed up in a snow cave. A medical examination of James indicated that he had suffered a dislocated shoulder. It was that injury that led Hall and Cooke to attempt their descent in hopes of finding help.
Wampler believes that Hall and Cooke may have had an accident while attempting to get help for James.
James used his cell phone a week ago to call his family and let them know that he was staying in a snow cave while the other two went for help.
