As most of you might know, last month on the day after Thanksgiving my snowboard was stolen while I was in eating lunch at Mt. Hood Meadows. In the weeks that followed, I asked my facebook friends to help me out by donating a dollar or any spare change to my "mean people suck" new snowboard fund. And well, what can I say... the kindness and generosity of my friends seriously left me speechless. In fact, I was able to greatly off-set the cost of a new setup and I even spent some money on a lock to make sure it wouldn't happen again.
Basically, my new board is the "bigger sister" to my former board, a Rome Blue 151. After extensive searching, I was able to find my old board style (147) on sale in someplace in Virginia, but the people at the shop were being tools about shipping it... so, instead I decided to upgrade in size and found the 151 version of my board from a seller on ebay. Brand new with free shipping, my new board was on it's way to me! The graphics are very similar, colors a little different, more bold and vibrant, and those few more inches make a difference in my turns and the float... but, I still get that same happy feeling when I look at my new board that I did with the prior one. However, this board warms my heart a little more than the other one since I know that so many of my friends pitched in to helped me get it.
So, when I take it for a spin in the mountains, in the deep powdery snow like I did last week on it's inaugural run... just know that even if many of you won't make it out to my home turf of Mt. Hood to board with me any time soon... every time I go snowboarding, you all are with me. And I thank you and vow to pay your kindness forward.
Shortest Day of the year: after this point… I can look forward to it not being dark when I ride my bike to ….. and from work. Speaking of which… Holy fucking headwind this morning batman! AND speaking of mornings, HELLO Monday!!! Apparently I forgot my spinach calazone in the fridge AND my SD card to upload the photos and video from Fences, that I shot at Mississippi Studios last night (Fences…. if you haven’t heard of them… and I’m thinking most of you haven’t, really you should.) AND, I also forgot to switch out the pedals on my bike. egad!
Weekend Recap: FRIDAY NIGHT: I’m such a tool. I really wanted to go to my friend Steph and Bria’s open house and for some odd reason I thought it was Saturday night and I’d have to swing it between other events I had planned. No. Apparently it was tonight. And, while everyone was else was there enjoying the festive holiday spirit, Sam and Anna and I spent a relaxing evening on the sofa watching movies and eating experimental pad thai.
SATURDAY: We had initially wanted to go snowboarding Saturday, but the weather turned warm which pretty much meant conditions would be shit and not worth the drive, so instead we slept in a little and woke up to thoughts ofGravy. In order to get to Gravy and not wait in line, we got there about 9am. I fucking love Gravy, not so much the dish… however, Gravy does have amazing gravy - i mean, if you’re gonna name your restaurant after an item on the menu, it better me good… and it is! - but the place. Most things are excellent, I love the challah bread french toast as it’s so tasty when you eat it then, and if you order the full order, it’s even just as tasty for leftovers. Also, the thing I love about Gravy is that with two people, it’s possible to order a little bit of everything tasty on the menu for a decent price. Can’t decide between eggs and french toast, order the eggs and get the french toast on the side… same with the gravy. Sam ordered a massively huge omelet with a side of french toast and I ordered a single biscuit with sausage gravy. Sam ate half of her omelet, half of my biscuit, while I ate the other half of my biscuit and half of the half order of french toast. In the end all, we both walked out with enough leftovers to feed us the following morning.
From there I still had some holiday shopping to do… so I went to Trendy Third street to gaze upon the holiday wares. I don’t really go shopping that much, and honestly, I don’t really ever buy much…. but I love looking.
At 2pm Fritts came over to my house and we donned our wet riding gear and set off to Tabor to do some hill repeats. On our way back home, we rode down to Mississippi Street to stop by the Sugar Cube. I love love love the Sugar Cube (i have a food crush) and this is the first time I’d been by since Kir opened in her new location at the Food Carts on Mississippi. I was happy that Kir recognized me and called me by name (we’re facebook friends afterall), sadly though, she was out of my favorite cupcake…Highway to Heaven, but… to alleviate our loss, she hooked us up with a delicious brownie with a chocolate ganache frosting drizzled with caramel and sea salt. DE-LI-I-CIOUS! I wanted to eat the wrapper. Sam went inside Proust, the german bar next door to the food cart and ordered some beers for us and we sat outside on the courtyard near our bikes eating brownies and drinking stouts. It was pretty much amazing.
Then, we rode home and cleaned up and Sam and I were out the door to the Wend Magazine Festivus Elefante Blanco Holiday Bash = Slamming Good Times. I was kinda nervous to go to the party since I didn’t really know too many people, but… what a great place to meet some really interesting folks! And let me tell you, the Wend people know how to throw a party! There was a big spread of food, wine, saki, and even a few kegs full of Nikasi IPA!!!! YUM!! In between a few pints of IPA, I met a pro adventure racer, a bike wheel builder, a pro kayaker, and even reconnected with my old friend from dragon boat racing, Nick. The best part about the party was the white elephant gift exchange. I had found this delightfully creepy ceramic good luck cat that you see at Chinese resturants and Sam found a massive western style belt buckle. It was great watching everyone open their random gifts: vodka, a hash pipe, Bibleology the board game, Sarah Palin’s new book, a snuggie, etc. My gift was an award for excellence in Risk Management from PSU in the shape of Oregon. It rocked.
By the time we left the party, it was much too late to make it to Steph and Bria’s (which was actually the day before)… so then Sam and I just jetted off to the Holocene to meet up with some friends and get some dancing under our belt.
SUNDAY: I slept in. Sam came back from paddling practice and then we ate leftovers from Gravy the day before. Sam filled me in that I can join her for their sunday morning paddling practices at the pool and I can swim laps for free while they paddle. I love swimming and I can pretty much swim laps all day long, I never get tired of it. Sadly though, I don’t have easy access to a pool that has convenient open lap swim.
…..
Went to the gym around 3:30. Came back, packed for my trip home this week and putzed around the house till I left to go shoot Fences at Mississippi Studios. Christen had contacted me Saturday wanting to know if I could cover the show and get material for their EPK. I responded back with a yes before I realized my camera hasn’t been working the way it should. However, I had just bought some new batteries the night before so hopefully they’d last long enough to get some good material. And, praise the lord… it did. I love Mississippi Studios, the sound there is great and more often than not, the crowd is pretty respectful. As a result, some of my best video’s have come from there. Anyways, caught the show. Apparently the message for me to be on the Guest List wasn’t passed along, but I was able to sweet talk my way in to the sold out show. Fences had a great set and played with a few of the guys from Hey Marseilles. Afterwards, I stuck around to see a bit of the Cave Singers set, but I was getting tired and so it was off to bed for me.
Anyways, today is the shortest day of the year and I forgot my spinach calazone for lunch. FYI.
In the last day, Rescue Missions for the missing climbers on Mt. Hood have ceased and any further efforts will be now deemed a recovery mission. Most likely, no more evidence or clues or bodies will be found until the spring thaw. Since tuesday, when I made my last post, there has been more press and more debate on the climbers, their timeline, what may have happened, and also the whole rescue beacon debate (which will always rage).
Here is a follow up gathered from local news sources:
1 a.m. Anthony Vietti, Katie Nolan and Luke Gullberg register at Timberline Lodge intending to summit Mt. Hood via the Reid Glacier route. The trio had an active cell phone
1:30 a.m. One of the climbers activates the cell phone, most likely while still in the lodge's vicinity
2 p.m. The climbers expected to be back at Timberline having completed their 13-hour summit
4 p.m. A worried friend reports the climbers missing
Late evening: A threatening weather system begins moving into NW Oregon
Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009
Early morning: Clackamas County coordinates 30 volunteers to search for climbers
10 a.m. The body of Luke Gullberg was found on the Reid Glacier above 9,000-feet elevation, near the base of a headwall. Searchers find a camera with close-up photos of all three climbers. Family of climbers arrive, along with chaplains from Sandy and nearby communities
3 p.m. Volunteers continue the search; weather conditions become treacherous with limited visibility, preventing aerial support from helicopters or planes
Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009
Severe weather conditions across NW Oregon create zero-visibility, blizzard conditions on Mt. Hood and the threat of avalanches and falling ice prevents Search and Rescue efforts.
Churches and congregations across the country offer prayers and support for the three climbers, who were deeply religious and had met during church activities
Monday, Dec. 14, 2009
5:30 a.m. Search and rescue efforts begin with aerial surveillance from Civil Air Patrol, Oregon Army National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard. A NWS meteorologist arrives and identifies a four-hour window for optimal searching, between noon and 4 p.m.
10 a.m. A press conference with the Search and Rescue coordinators and the family of Anthony Vietti Lead Rescue coordinator narrows the search to the 10,000-foot-to-summit elevations of Mt. Hood's western face
12 p.m. Conditions clear enough for US Air Force Rescue Squadron to begin scaling upper reaches of Mt. Hood
3 p.m. State medical examiners determine Luke Gullberg died from hypothermia and had suffered minor "non-life-threatening" injuries in a fall
3:30 p.m. Another weather system moves in and forecasters predict 18 inches of new snow. Aerial search suspended.
5:00 p.m. Vigils held from Portland to Longview, Wash. by friends, coworkers and acquaintances of the three climbers.
6:30 p.m. Search effort suspended for day. Experts predict that the two climbers could remain safe in a snow cave for five days with provisions and without injury
Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009
5:30 a.m. Blizzard-like conditions and a "white wall of snow" delay search efforts Military arrives with aerial support and ground squadrons canvassing mountain Coordinators say the moment weather lets up all rescuers will be "instantly deployed"
10 a.m. Search and Rescue specialized medic arrives to speak with family about survivability scenarios
11 a.m. Coordinators reassure family that operation remains "search and rescue" and not "recovery"
4 p.m. Dr. Teri Schmidt, a search and rescue special medic, said the odds of finding Nolan or Vietti alive after five days on the mountain were about 1 percent.
4:30 p.m. Investigators reveal that Gullberg may have died while trying to rescue Nolan. Search and rescue effort suspended until early Wednesday, when Blackhawk helicopters were scheduled to resume efforts.
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009
2 p.m. The massive search for Katie Nolan and Anthony Vietti was suspended. Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said rescue efforts would transition to a recovery mission once the harsh weather abated atop Mount Hood.
Katie's father, David Nolan, said his daughter was now buried upon the mountain she most loved - where she'd told her friends she someday wanted to be buried.
Anthony's father, John Vietti, asked those who had offered support and prayers to not lose faith in God. "God has answered our prayers - and for myself and my family this has not shaken our faith."
"Crews had hoped for a break in the weather Wednesday for one last possible air search over Mt. Hood but the storm never abated. A series of snowstorms dumped nearly two feet of snow on Mt. Hood since Monday. Images from the cell phone of the third climber, 26-year-old Luke Gullberg, whose body was found Friday, revealed that all three climbers reached Reid Glacier, and suggest that there was an accident involving Nolan. Investigators believe Gullberg then tried to rappel to get help.
Investigators suspect Nolan was injured because mountaineers found just one of her gloves Saturday with the body of Gullberg at the base of the Reid headwall. The slope rises at a 50-degree angle from the glacier to within a few hundred feet of relatively easier climb to the top above 11,000 feet. They found neither of Gullberg's gloves, Thompson said, leading them to think that Nolan had lost one of hers in the accident, that Gullberg had left her his glove, along with his pack, and that he had headed downhill, taking Nolan's single glove for whatever warmth it would provide. After a fall in which he suffered bruises and scrapes, Gullberg died of exposure. His body was found at the 9,000 foot level, at the base of the 1,500-foot headwall of the Reid Glacier. Nearby were tracks and some of his equipment, including a camera whose pictures gave rescue workers information about the route and equipment the climbers took." -kgw.com
In summary, I will close with this comment that Katie's father made regarding her and the incident. When I heard it on the raw video footage, it really hit a vein with me as I've shared that exact thought. I am sure that Katie and the two others climbers, when assessing their risk before setting out for their climb thought the same thing to themselves as I do when I set out... that, if today were to be the day when it all ends for me... that I can't think of a better place or a better way to end it. I can't say that she was lucky, but is really is quite fitting that she was able to have a poetic ending as such.
So, as I'm sure many of you have heard already, recently three very experienced climbers went missing last Friday when they attempted to climb Oregon's infamous Mt. Hood. At 1am when they left their truck in the Timberline Parking lot and filled out their climb report, conditions were good. Conditions were to stay good for most of the day, but then turn nasty as the evening progressed. Ideally, they were not figuring on being out that long. For a 1am departure, you hope to reach summit by 7-8am, and then back down the mountain to their car by 3pm. They had gear they needed, harnesses, helmets, ice axes; though, no emergency beacons and no snow shovels. Their climbing report was sloppy though, they wrote down the wrong names for things and appeared to write info for routes that were on the other side of the Mountain.
The climbers wereLuke Gullberg 26, Katie Nolan 29, and Anthony Vietti 24. All of them have climbed mountains together before, Adams, Rainier, Mt. Baker. In fact, Luke Gullberg had already summited Mt. Hood six times prior while Anthony was a member of Olympic Mountain Rescue. I'm sure, in the back of their head.... it was no big thing, easy up - easy down. Granted, they were taking one of the hardest routes up the Mountain... but, these were people who seemingly didn't take the easy route, while climbing or in life.
The other day, searchers found the body of Luke Gullberg near 9,000 ft. at the Reid Glacier. Gear, harness, helmet, etc was scattered all over the slope of the mountain near his body. Apparently included in this gear was a camera containing photos of everyone shortly before "something bad happened". One of the photos shows Gullberg anchored to the snow and the ice of the Reid Headwall, apparently with two snow screws. Seemingly, a rope led from the anchors to his secured harness. Autopsy reports determined that Luke had a long slow fall, but that's not what killed him. In fact, he had minimal cuts scrapes and bruises and it's very likely that he was able to walk and crawl for several hundred yards. Luke died from hypothermia, from exposure.
As I type, Katie and Anthony have not been found yet. In the three days of searching as weather has allowed, each hour that passes makes the chance that they hunkered down in a snow cave and are still alive grow fainter and fainter.
My mind is wrapped around the this story. I am confused and I try, much like everyone else... to figure out what might have happened. What was the "something bad?" Who was it who went first? How high were they? Were they roped together (some of the prior photos show they were)? Was there a fall, a crevasse? How long were they out there? Did they have sufficient gear with them to stay warm or eat in case of emergency? Were they trying to climb light and fast? Why wasn't Luke's backpack on him? Why did he have Katie's water bottle and glove? Did Luke go for help after the two of them ran into problems and built a snow cave? There are so many possibilities and so many scenarios that I gobble up all the latest news about the incident... hoping that there is a better idea of what happened, but alas.... no one knows.
Personally, like many others, I want to know. I want to understand. I want to be prepared. I want to know the details so that I don't make the same mistakes they did. I don't want to be a statistic. It's been a goal of mine since I moved out here to climb the 11,249 ft Mt. Hood - and only inclimate weather has turned me around thus far. Honestly, even considering all the tragedy that has happened on the mountain over the years... it hasn't scared me away..... it only makes me want to understand it more. The mountain is a beast of nature. It can provide for an afternoon of fun as quickly as it can provide for a lifetime of terror. It demands respect and understanding. You never really ever conquer the mountain and if given the opportunity, it can quickly conquer you. And, because it is there, because it is so close and accessible, because it is one of the most beautiful and dangerous things we have ever seen... we are drawn to it.
Another reason this story is so captivating, is that currently, we only know so much about the climbers involved. At first glance of a news story, you see their name, their age, and their home. I identify with one of them. Though our lives may be entirely different, the truth is on paper that Katie Nolan, 29 of Portland Oregon loved climbing mountains and challenging herself. I, Jenn Levo, 29 years old of Portland Oregon, love climbing mountains and challenging myself. I don't know Katie, but it's very possible that our lives crossed paths at some point... at the climbing gym, at an outdoors event. It's hard to say... but I identify with her. She got connected with the two men because she was often going out hiking and climbing and doing it alone. Someone introduced her to one of the other so she had "people" and then they became fast friends with a shared interest in the great outdoors. Most of my friends that I have here in Portland I've found through the same way. Katie could be me, she could also be one of my friends.
In the days since the incident... more news about the life of Katie Nolan has come to surface. She, as well as the two men, were deeply religious people (in fact, I don't know how you can spend time in the outdoors and not believe in God.) Katie apparently worked in Portland for an organization which helped get women off the streets and into jobs and homes. She even went to Africa once to help free women from the slave trade. It appears as if all of them were good people who essentially had their faith and believed in helping others as well as a love and appreciation for the outdoors. (That doesn't mean that good people don't die... good people die every day, but losses are just a little more heartbreaking when the people are young, decent folks with a zest for life rather than cracked out thieves and hoodlums, right?)
In light of everything and the time that has passed since they've gone missing, I don't think this can be considered a rescue mission anymore. Temperatures on the mountain have dipped into the teens with more snow on the way. Avalanche danger is high and the upcoming forecast is not promising. While I'd love to think that they used their ice picks to make a snow cave and the two of them have been huddled in there keeping warm, by day four, it's not likely that they'd still have food or fuel for water. I think it's safe to say any further work is a recovery mission. I can only hope that all of the climbers, in light of the "something bad that happened" were able to be at peace in their final moments. There were out there in the wilds, doing what they loved in a place that they loved and if you ask me, that's a pretty good way to go. I for one, have always longed to go out they way Jack London described death in his tale "To Build a Fire". In this story, the man... left out in harsh winter conditions finally lost to the bitter freezing cold. After painful bouts of shivering, with his limbs losing control and sensation, a feeling of calmness and drowsiness came over him. Much like taking an anesthetic, "the man drowsed off into what seemed to him the most the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known".
My prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the climbers from last week's incident. I also send out kind thoughts and regards for the others who have lost on the mountain. And, I pray for safe travels and returns to all those who venture forth. Remember, you never really conquer the mountain, you are just spared from it from time to time.
I will close with my personal prayer that I repeat in moments of weakness, danger and uncertainty. It is a variation of Habakkuk 3:17-19found in the Old Testament, (granted... it's not the exact text, but the meaning is the same and it's just the way it comes out of my mouth):"The Lord, God is my saviour, may he give me the strength of a deer to make it safely over the mountains."
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For a look at the mountain and search and rescue efforts, check out this video shot by a local news station helicopter.
Also, this rages the debate if rescue beacons should be mandated for climbers. I've save my thoughts on that for a later post.
I enjoy grocery shopping. In fact, my favorite things are free food samples and when a song I love comes over the grocery store radio. I think that everyone needs a theme song and that everyone should be given free rolls of toilet paper when they get their taxes back. I like sweeping my floor but I hate doing the dishes. I love phrases of speech like "painfully shy", "disarmingly beautiful" and the word "threadbare". I'm a great gatherer of firewood, maker of bonfires and jumper of rope. Basically, I see every day as a "Choose Your Own Adventure" story and try to steer clear from any theme park or packaged experience in life.
