MOUNT HOOD, Ore. — A Scottsdale man is continuing his recovery after falling 700 feet off Oregon's Mount Hood last weekend.
On Saturday, around 7:45 a.m., the 55-year-old climber, Chris Zwierzynski from Arizona, slipped while on the steep Old Chute route on Mount Hood's south side, located at about an 11,200-foot elevation.
Zwierzynski was unable to break his fall, tumbling about 700 feet into the Hot Rocks area and "sustaining multiple injuries," according to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. A few off-duty military medics, along with two Mount Hood National Forest climbing rangers in the area, saw the fall and descended to help. The rangers also provided first aid to Zwierzynski.
Clackamas County and Hood River County sheriff's offices search and rescue coordinators activated a joint mission to perform an evacuation with Portland Mountain Rescue, the Hood River Crag Rats, the Oregon Department of Emergency Management and the U.S. Forest Service.
Portland Mountain Rescue and the Hood River Crag Rats were able to reach Zwierzynski shortly after 1 p.m.
Zwierzynski's pastor, Gene James, said he sees Zwierzynski's rescue as "a miracle."
"This is not something that you just survive a 700-foot fall and come out with fractures that are minor in comparison to what it could have been," James said. "We're just grateful to God."
James has known Zwierzynski for years and says he has always had an eye for adventure — his goal was to climb every major peak in the United States.
Following his rescue, Zwierzynski's family said in a statement that he required a "couple surgeries" and will have many months of rehab ahead, but he is in "good spirits" and "progressing nicely."
"The Zwierzynski family is beyond grateful. Chris was so blessed to have people there when the fall happened. The swiftness of aid was a Godsend. We are so thankful to the other hikers, the rangers, the rescue teams and the Hospital staff. They are true angles," the family said in a statement.
The family also said Zwierzynski is an avid hiker who was prepared for his hike and outfitted with the proper equipment, and his fall shows that "accidents can happen to anyone."
"He jokingly commented, 'It's crazy that out of all the hikes I've successfully completed, this is the one that's made the news,'" the family said.
A GoFundMe page will be set up in the near future for those who have been asking to help with medical bills, the family said. Any money left over after the medical bills are paid will be donated to Portland Mountain Rescue and the Hood River Crag Rats.
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