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James' location pinpointed; break in weather needed Searchers have pinpointed the whereabouts of Kelly James, the injured climber who sought refuge in a snow cave on Mount Hood last week, to within 500 meters of his actual location. James appears to be staying put, searchers said Tuesday.
Now searchers need the weather to cooperate so they can start combing the ground for his snow cave, which is believed to be at 10,300 feet of elevation.
Employees from T-Mobile USA, James' cell phone service provider,
say that they've frequently been "pinging" his phone to determine where he is and that he likely hasn't been moving.
James, 48, of Dallas, Texas, is one of three experienced climbers who headed out last Thursday to summit the mountain via the difficult Cooper Spur route. His companions -- Brian Hall, 37, also of Dallas, and Jerry "Nikko" Cooke, 36, of Brooklyn, New York -- continued down the mountain to get help after Kelly injured himself and are still missing.
Searchers are looking for Hall and Cooke at various areas of the mountain, including ZigZag Canyon on the chance that the pair got lost as they descended the mountain's fall line. The fall line bypasses Timberline Lodge, and following it has been a common mistake for other lost climbers in the past.
James called his family on Sunday and sounded disorganized and under a lot of stress, sheriff's officials said. T-Mobile spokesman Peter Dobrow is guessing that James hasn't been able to get a strong enough signal to make a call again, although he still has battery life left.
"He's on the extreme edge of coverage, and it's actually quite remarkable and encouraging that we're able to secure any information," Dobrow said of the pings.
Eighteen searchers are focusing their efforts on the ZigZag Canyon area for Hall and Cooke. Four others are awaiting clearer weather atop the Palmer Lift, at about 8,000 feet, to start hiking up to search for James. Searchers say while they welcome the brief break in the stormy weather on Mount Hood, their biggest worry is the extreme avalanche danger.
Capt. Mark Ross with the 304th Rescue Squadron said the calmer weather has given searchers a chance to be more effective.
Its definitely worth doing, he said. I have found people who have been lost in the snow for longer periods, kids even.
The trio stranded on Mount Hood are described by friends and family as experienced climbers who sought the challenge of scaling the mountain in tough conditions.
3 Climbers Missing On Mount Hood
