Rescuers search the north side of Mount Hood on Tuesday.
For two days now, search and rescue crews looking for the three lost climbers on Mount Hood haven't been able to do anything other than wait for the weather to clear. Storms rolled in last night making things even worse. There are a lot of fallen trees and downed power lines.
(Our motel in Parkdale, Oregon, lost power. I had to use my Blackberry as a flashlight.)
Despite the challenging elements, we've been told a C-130 airplane will be flown today above the mountain today to see if anything can be spotted from the air. They'll be looking for any clues to the location of the missing climbers: Kelly James, Brian Hall, and Jerry "Nikko" Cooke. The military is devoting a considerable amount of resources for the search, including several paratroopers who have expertise with frozen terrain.
For the families, there is renewed hope today that their loved ones are alive. The local newspaper had a story about three teens who survived 13 days in a snow cave. Also, authorities showed the media another note the trio had left at the ranger station before their climb. It mentioned they had food, fuel, a shovel and sleeping bags. Relatives believe it shows how well prepared they were for any challenges they might have faced on the mountain.
The weather is supposed to clear up tomorrow. As soon as it does, we're told scores of rescuers will finally be able to scale up the mountain and hopefully find these three missing men.
