Originally Posted By: Teslinhiker
There a lot of misconceptions, false reporting etc. My friend and the other 2 climbers are experienced and would never attempt a climb at such a late hour. They started their climb out at around 1:00 am PST Friday morning...not pm.
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Thanks to many of you here who have written many gracious comments. It is refreshing to see that not all are so callous and judgmental here.

There's a book I just read, Mountain Rescue Doctor, that talks about SAR from a MD's perspective.

Seems the 1am hike on Mt Hood is a common theme/occurance. Kind of similar to the 6pm assault on Whitney, hoping to make the peak by sunrise.

I haven't followed this story, or this thread, enough to make any worthwhile observations. But from the initial story, it seems that climbing this time of year isn't unheard of or necessarily a death sentence. Perhaps the only real mistake was the weather forecast?