Hundreds mourn climber Luke Gullberg, of Des Moines

Luke Gullberg was my husband's best friend. He was the best man in our wedding. Luke was outgoing and made everyone around him feel like they were important. He had the brightest smile. These are some of the things I will always remember about Luke and when my husband and I start to have kids, our son's name will be Luke.


Hundreds mourn climber Luke Gullberg, of Des Moines
Des Moines, Wash – December 12, 2009


On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of friends and family packed into the Pacific Middle School gymnasium in Des Moines to remember 26-year-old Luke Gullberg, whose body was found Dec. 12 on Reid Glacier of Mount Hood after he failed to return from a climb of a steep route begun the previous day.

In his passion for climbing, Luke Gullberg helped lead dozens of men and women up the signature peaks of the Pacific Northwest. "See you at the top," was his trademark line that he repeated in fair weather and foul in the videos he made of his ascents of Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and other mountains.

On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of friends and family packed into the Pacific Middle School gymnasium in Des Moines to remember the 26-year-old Gullberg, whose body was found Dec. 12 on Reid Glacier of Mount Hood after he failed to return from a climb of a steep route begun the previous day. They spoke of a young man with a keen sense of humor and an infectious enthusiasm for life who relished the fellowship forged through mountaineering.

Also on this climb were Katie Nolan, a 29-year-old native of Touchet, Walla Walla County, who had moved to Portland, and Anthony Vietti, 25, of Longview. A search that was suspended Wednesday evening failed to find Nolan and Vietti, who are now presumed also to have perished on the mountain.

The climbers' misfortune turned into an international drama as television, newspapers and the Internet tracked each day of the search. Even after his son's body was recovered, Rod Gullberg stayed at Timberline Lodge, the hub of the rescue, to be with the other families. He did not speak at the memorial service but did release a statement.

"We haven't even begun to think about life without Luke," Gullberg, a Washington State Patrol researcher, said in the statement. "There won't be a day that Luke won't be missed by his family."

Friends and family say Luke Gullberg was very close to his mother, Karen Gullberg, who died in January 2008 after a long battle with cancer. He was deeply religious and had a hard time reconciling his faith with his mother's passing.

"For Luke, it was like a mortal wound," said Mac Sauerlender, the pastor at Des Moines Gospel Chapel where Gullberg worshipped. "It shook him to the core."

Then in September, Gullberg headed out alone to the backcountry. He hiked more than 500 miles in three weeks on the Pacific Crest Trail, where he spread his mother's ashes. When he returned to Des Moines, friends and families said, he finally seemed to have accepted his mother's death.

"It was a turning point in his life," said Gullberg's older brother, Scott Gullberg.

















"Stoked" for climb

In the months that followed, Gullberg seemed to be much more his upbeat self. On the Saturday before his Mount Hood climb, Gullberg appeared "really stoked about the ascent," his friend Owen Barton said in an interview before the memorial service.


When Gullberg and his two climbing partners were reported missing, the families rushed to Oregon to monitor the search. During the hours of waiting, their anguish over the fate of the climbers was compounded by some news reports that helped reignite a debate in Oregon about whether Mount Hood climbers should be required to carry emergency beacons.


"It was obviously a very difficult time for the loved ones of those who died," said Dennis Simons, a chaplain from Sandy, Ore., who counseled the families throughout the search. "Sometimes the news reports upset the families, and I just tried to get things back on track."


Gullberg, Nolan and Vietti did not carry beacons. One veteran of Mount Hood searches, Steve Rollins of Portland Mountain Rescue, said he encourages the use of beacons but said it is unclear whether they would have made any difference last week.


Family and friends say that Gullberg — who organized the climb — was meticulous in preparing for each climb. Gullberg thoroughly researched each planned route, as well as weather and gear required to complete the ascent, according to Barton. He would communicate the plans in detailed e-mails sent to those who planned to accompany him


"Luke was very detailed," said Barton, who joined Gullberg on some of his climbs. "He didn't take anything lightly."


On the riskiest parts of a route, Gullberg typically would lead the way. Barton recalled one climb of Dragontail Peak in Washington's Enchantment Lakes Basin, where Gullberg made his way across an exposed, corniced ridge line to reach a belay point where he could set an anchor and offer others the safety of the rope.


The final ascent


Just what went wrong on the Mount Hood climb probably will never be known.


The trio began their ascent from Timberline Lodge around 2 a.m. Dec. 11. The day dawned with plenty of sun, and the weather remained sunny through most of the afternoon, before clouding over, according to National Weather Service forecasters.


Rollins, of Portland Mountain Rescue, said the trio initially intended to climb the Sandy Headwall route, which has steep slopes that make it substantially more difficult than the normal route.


Mount Hood is most commonly climbed in the summer. But the danger of rock and ice falls may be greater during the warm summer months so many climbers prefer to tackle the steeper routes in the winter or spring.


Rollins said the climbing group reached the base of the Sandy Headwall, and then opted to backtrack and attempt another route on the Reid Glacier. A photo retrieved from Gullberg's camera showed him roped up and the sun still shining, according to rescuers.


Rescuers believe that there was some sort of accident. Even in the winter, rock and ice fall remain a risk and can knock climbers off the slopes.


Gullberg's body was found without his gloves and one of Nolan's glove's nearby. Rescuers have hypothesized that Nolan may have been injured and that Gullberg was trying to go for help when he was overcome by hypothermia, which was found to be the cause of his death