News No Good News
posted by on December 17 at 17:59 PM
Has any good news come out of the Pacific Northwest recently? From the NYT: Climber Found Dead in Cave on Mount Hood.
Rescuers looking for three missing climbers on Mount Hood found a body Sunday in the area where one of the climbers made a distress call last week, authorities said.The dead climber had not yet been identified, said Pete Hughes, a spokesman for the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office. The victim was believed to be one of the three missing climbers, authorities said.
The body was found in a second snow cave near another such cave where rescuers found a sleeping bag, ice axes and rope, officials said.
Rescuers would be coming off the mountain early Sunday evening and will review the information gathered today before making plans for Monday, said Capt. Mike Braibish, spokesman for the Oregon National Guard.
”We remain hopeful,” Braibish said. ”We are going to still collect information and pursue the rescue of the two other climbers.”
Mountain climbers know what they are getting into (the dead of winter, among other things)and they know that death or serious injury is always a risk. I have no sympathy for them, especially when they cost taxpayers tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars to go rescue them or recover their bodies.
Tragic, yes, but 100% avoidable.
I feel very sorry for them and their families, especially. I'm not sure how it works now. But, I think that a climbing "permit" would make sense. Charge people like $300 to hike, or whatever would cover the cost of search and rescue to operate for the year. Also, I'm thinking that climbers probably bring money to the local economy. Either way, it is a tragedy. As a member of the world community, I don't mind paying for some of my more adventerous community members to be rescued. The government has found much worse ways to use my tax dollars. I am always willing to pay for life.
Since 2003, land search and rescue got its act together to use the same GPS technology they've used in marine rescue for 20 years. Instead of a $300 user fee, why not buy a $600 beacon and come home alive?
It would cost the taxpayer far less to make sure everyone carried one into the back country this time of year than to pay for helicopters to fly around in circles.
But regardless of whether it costs a lot or a little, I too, would much rather pay taxes to rescue people I've never met than to drop bombs on people I've never met.
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