PORTLAND, Ore. -- A Portland pastor survived what he says should have been a fatal fall on Mount Hood this weekend.
Not only did 35-year-old Josh Hawk survive falling hundreds of feet, he then survived a 10-hour rescue.
"I am a miracle I sit here before you," he said.
Hawk is still recovering at Legacy Emanuel Hospital. On Tuesday, he and his wife Lauren spoke with reporters.
"He should be dead or he should be much worse off than he is," Lauren said. "It defies logic."
Hawk suffered a broken ankle, wrist, shoulder and several ribs in the fall. He also has nine staples in his head and severe ice rash. Still, he wanted to share his story and thank the dozens of people who helped save him.
"I'm forever grateful for the many who risked their lives to save me," he said.
Hawk's ordeal started Saturday morning, shortly after he and a friend reached the summit of Mount Hood.
Their plan was to ski back down. Josh went first.
"I took two turns and realized it was not slushy at all, it was a sheet of ice," he recalled.
He caught an edge, lost control and toppled at highway speeds down the glacier.
"I tried using my boots, I tried using my poles clawing at anything and, in that moment, I was certain I was going to die," he said.
Eventually, he came to a stop near Hogsback ridge. Had he gone two feet more, he would have fallen into a crevice.
A team from Portland Mountain Rescue reached Hawk that morning.
An Army National Guard helicopter was called in to hoist him off the mountain but the wind was too strong so rescue crews on the ground had to bring Hawk down.
Once at Timberline, he was loaded onto that helicopter and flown to Portland.
"I am reminded to care for the things I really care about," he said. "To hug my wife a little bit tighter to hug my children a little bit tighter."
Josh is a pastor at St. Johns Wesleyan Church in North Portland. He is also no stranger to climbing. He's climbed Mt. Hood a number of times, as well as several other mountains.
He said once he recovers, he will climb again.