The call to serve as a volunteer with the Portland Mountain Rescue (PMR)
comes in various forms: for some, it was the natural response to the
helicopter crash on Mount Hood in 2002 during an attempted rescue of fallen
climbers, for others, it seemed a natural extension of their passion for
climbing and mountaineering.

And with more than 70 volunteer members, PMR is a constant presence on
Mount Hood, in the Columbia River Gorge and the surrounding area when
hikers and climbers need them the most.

And those who answer the call, the chance to make a difference and save
lives makes it a very rewarding experience.

“You actually made a very material impact in the family’s life, even if the
outcome of the mission isn’t what you’d hope,” said Scott Norton, who joined
nine years ago and has served on the organization’s board as its president.

“You know that you’re doing some work that nobody else can.”

Always ready
On Saturday, Oct. 19, more than a dozen members of PMR arrived just
outside the Bull Run hydroelectric plant for some high lines training, utilizing a
small gorge in the Bull Run River to simulate rescuing an injured hiker or
climber. The day included a number of different iterations of a rescue, all
using a series of ropes secured from both sides of the river to lower a rescuer
into the gorge and extract the “patient.”

Mark Morford, Public Information Officer for PMR and a member for five years,
explained that the challenges of this particular training include keeping the
patient and rescuer away from the gorge edges as they are brought up. And
while a real life rescue necessitating this type of complicated rigging is very
uncommon, the training offers a wide range of rigging systems used in
numerous other rescue situations, making it an effective learning exercise.

“It’s kind of a culmination of our training to set this up because it incorporates
elements of systems we use frequently,” Morford said, adding that when PMR
rescued a patient off a glacier this summer it took 45 minutes just to get past
the edge – a testament to the challenge these rescues present.

PMR is deployed by various area sheriff’s offices and the members are on call
24 hours a day. Missions take anywhere from one to a few days, depending
on the type of rescue, and PMR typically has from 20 to 35 mission days in a
year.

Morford noted missions occur any time of year, although those on the south
side of Mount Hood are more frequent from April through July, while missions
in the Columbia River Gorge are more frequent during the summer.

“It’s Oregon, man, people are getting out all the time,” Morford said.

Barb Clark joined PMR five years ago and serves alongside her husband. Both
are retired and the pair can more easily respond during the week when a call
comes in, which sometimes means waking in the middle of a cold winter
night, gearing up and searching for a lost skier or snowboarder.

“If you can find their tracks then you’re out tracking them down,” Clark said.
“It’s hard work and you’re on a timeline.”

Education first
Morford noted that half of PMR’s mission is public education – getting good
information out to people before they venture into the wilderness so they can
be prepared and avoid a rescue situation.

“It’s a lot more comfortable for us to spend time in warm conference rooms
than on the mountain if it will achieve the same result,” he said.

To drive the point home, Morford explained that when somebody gets injured
on Mount Hood or in the gorge, it will take a minimum of five hours – and
possibly longer in bad weather – for PMR members just to reach the patient.
With a typical mission on the south side of Mount Hood, a patient might not
reach a hospital for more than eight hours.

Morford stressed that when a member of a group gets injured and needs to be
rescued, it is important for the other members of the group to stabilize the
patient and then prepare to take care of themselves for a while. And while
PMR will try to reach a patient if a life is on the line, even in darkness or bad
weather, if the situation isn’t quite as dire the rescue could have to wait for
dawn to start in earnest.

PMR, a non-profit organization, is not paid for the rescues, Morford added, its
members are volunteers and the equipment is all donated. He stressed that
it’s important for lost hikers and climbers to not worry about paying for a
rescue, since studies have shown people in those situations put off calling for
help until their situation worsens.

“It only puts them and rescuers at greater danger,” Morford said.

Tom Gall, an 11-year member from Zigzag, takes the “be prepared” approach
to heart, as he always has a first aid kit, a plan for climbing or hiking and lets
people know where he’s going and when he’s expected back.

“Mother Nature’s a powerful force, we need to realize we don’t control the
conditions,” Gall said. “We need to be smart enough to pay attention and
choose our adventure and choose when not to do it, too.”

The new member search
While reflecting on the group that came out for the high line training, Morford
noted the membership is a little more on the older side and they’d like to
bring some younger ones into the mix. They’re always looking to recruit
qualified members, but there is a screening process followed by two years of
training before they can join on a mission.

Training companies are held once every two years, with the summer of 2014
the start of the next one. Morford noted the organization typically receives up
to 20 applications, with approximately 12 of those being qualified.

Those qualified applicants must go through an initial interview, where they
particularly look at an applicant’s temperament, followed by a skills tryout on
Mount Hood to look at climbing skills, fitness, stamina and temperament
again.

“You don’t need to be some hotshot ice climber, in fact we might prefer that
you’re not,” Morford said.

The members come from all walks of life, including fire fighters, lawyers,
accountants and more. All members are required to participate in 30 hours of
training each year (on top of mission hours) with classroom sessions typically
occurring at least one Thursday a month and training exercises during a
weekend.

For more information, including on how to request a free presentation, visit
pmru.org.