MOUNT HOOD, Ore. — Perched at 6,000 feet, Cloud Cap Inn sits at the foot of Mount Hood’s north side. The historic building was once property of the U.S. Forest Service but now it is home to the Hood River Crag Rats.
The all-volunteer organization is funded strictly by donations.
“This is pretty much the start of modern-day American mountain rescue…this is the home,” said Heiko Stopsack a member of the Crag Rats.
A paramedic in the Seattle area and an avalanche backcountry ski educator before that, Stopsack has been on the team for four years. He could speak all day about the reasons why people get into trouble and need to call for help.
“Asking our recreational users to be a little bit more thoughtful and prepared before they enter into the wilderness or in the mountains,” Stopsack said. “In the last few years. The numbers are just going up and up.”
The Crag Rats have reached a record number of rescue missions this year — 53 missions as of Sept. 8 between Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge.
In central Oregon, Lane County and Deschutes County search and rescue teams assisted a couple near South Sister over Labor Day weekend.
Sergeant Tom Speldrich with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office reports a high call volume, but nothing atypical of any other year. What is higher is the number of drownings in the county.
“I spoke with one of our SAR managers just the other day about volume of SAR calls. Although the volume is quite high, the volume of Search and Rescue types of calls for service is not particularly higher than in recent years past. Water drownings seem to be quite frequent this year as well and likely in order to exceed recent years past. We are at 11 or 12 already in Lane County this year,” Speldrich said via email.
“Sometimes the Hood River Crag Rats are going out twice a day, if not back-to-back rescues,” said Stopsack looking up at Mount Hood. “It's fatiguing, but that's what we signed up for.”
From rolled ankles to exhaustion to the most severe incidents the Crag Rats respond to it all in Hood River County. The group has assisted missions in the Olympic National Forest, near Mount St. Helens and other places across the Pacific Northwest.
Stopsack said he’s not looking for any pity for the work they put in as accidents happen on flatter trails and more technical routes. It’s the preparation by hikers and climbers that can mitigate some of the risk.
“Whether it's a hike that they believe is of minor consequences or endurance or difficulty, they should be prepared to take care of themselves or their companion that's traveling with them,” Stopsack said.
Stopsack recommends for people to consider their environment and their knowledge of hiking gear. Hikers should be familiar with the "ten essentials."
“No matter what it is, it could be a very technical rescue or it could be someone that just forgot their headlamp and they're stuck in the dark and it's an easy-peasy walkout,” Stopsack said. “Being there for our fellow citizen or person in our community is a great experience, and that's the payback for any Crag Rat.”
He encourages people to get out and explore the outdoors, but to do it responsibly, both for themselves and for others like these search and rescue volunteers.
“It's our public lands. It's for everybody to enjoy,” said Stopsack. “And we should go out there and enjoy it. But we should also put some thought behind it.”
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