ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- If you're like me and find yourself outdoors in remote places like Mount Hood, keep yourself safe from tragedies like this by having a GPS locator.
The Garmin I use is here: amzn.to/3RCvrRv (affiliate link)
Regardless of what device you choose to use, stay safe out there.
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In May 1986, excitement coursed through the veins of the group at the Oregon Episcopal School as they hiked their way through the stunning terrain of Oregon’s alpine regions toward the summit of Mount Hood. But little did this group of 20 know that what started as a thrilling, annual excursion would rapidly spiral into a series of progressively worse Events, culminating in a heart-wrenching tragedy that would shake their worlds to the
Core.
What you’re about to see is a story so awful that producers and movie executives were denied the rights to tell it. Today we tell the facts about what happened that terrible day with respect and to honor the memories of those who lost their lives.
This video was made only for educational purposes, viewer discretion is advised.
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When you are in charge of a group of kids in a life and death situation, quitting is not something to be ashamed of, it's actually a sign that you're a responsible leader, intelligent enough to asses the situation and make the right decisions. Terrible story ...
But those religious freak faux leaders think they know everything
I think the men leading that expedition would absolutely have agreed with you - down on the ground.
Half-way up the mountain the summit fever starts to kick in, and then later on the fabled sunk-cost fallacy, and then hypothermia.
I'm Swiss, and half the population is regularly in the Alps. The weather can change within 10 minutes, and "quitting" as some of you put it, when the situation changes for the worst, is usually regarded as inner strength. You can always return another day.
Aptly put. There was a similar incident in the 1930's Alps with a British group led by some overachieving knob with similar results.
@@bobgillis1137 Yeah that one is called 'the English Calamity' It happened in the Black Forest in Germany in 1936 where a bunch of english students and one teacher did something similar to what happened in this video. The locals told the teacher several times they needed to turn back, the weather was about to get crazy and he refused. Half of those boys died. The teacher faced zero consequences. A couple of good videos about that one here on youtube. Another one concerning kids is the Dachstein hiking disaster. Same thing basically. That one was 1954
• check the weather
• know when to say no
• don’t be afraid to turn back
@sMansGuitars
I definitely would’ve turned back and felt no guilt. Your life is in your hands
Weather is most of it. I am , not anyone who knows anything of hiking mountains....but I did the Tuckerman Ravine at Mt Washington. I lucked out...weather was good.
@@esqsusan
U can’t b afraid to quit. It’s your life
my wife is very good at the 2nd one , probably not the time for jokes ,sorry
@@danielhall-wl4ql It was pretty funny anyway. Nothin wrong with lightening the mood a bit.
Being responsible for other people's children is serious business. Failure due to poor judgement leading to the loss of life is the ultimate tragedy.
I was thinking the exact same thing.
I feel the same when I drive other kids
My heart goes out to the parents.
That's is just sheer stupidity to be required to climb a dangerous, life threatening mountain in order to graduate. Stupid school leaders.
I'm a high school teacher, and I'm absolutely appalled that they required this climb for graduation. Ridiculous!
@@miriammacdermot5601 They weren't 100% required. They had two choices, I cannot recall what the other was. However, if someone wants to post there was strong peer pressure, or a serious lack of judging by the teachers who should be allowed to go, you are very likely right.
Understand something else. Some of the students here had been through this course before. Molly Schula for example who hiked out with Summers. She had summited Mt. Hood before, and while she is not to blame one bit (one could argue she was heroic), there's a serious potential lapse of judgement to have someone 17 on a climb, then turn at a 15 year old and let them believe they can be like the 17 year old who has done this before and is strong, fit, and confident. This is a recipe for pressure, and failure in such a potentially dangerous situation. I hope this makes sense.
So many religious zealots are stupid..
Stupid parents who accept such requirement knowing their children ARE NOT EXPERIENCED CLIMBERS.
😮😳
Their parents shouldn't have put their kids in that situation Knowing a storm was forecasted. Period
Cannot believe “ Experienced “ climbers forced KIDS to keep going up this mountain IN A STORM
These "kids" would out-run, and out-hike 99% of the people who watched this video. Please, stop insulting these teenagers. Had you been on that trip, you'd probably be the dead weight, not these so called "kids"
They are children! I cannot believe they took them with a storm coming in.
@artyomarty391 I don't think they're badmouthing the kids' abilities at all. But most kids can't stand up to a foolish adult to save their lives, literally in this case. Tragic and unjust.
And the adults that turned back should've asked if any of those kids wanted to go too
They WERE kids, not up to this level of difficulty! That's not insulting them, That's reality!
My mother was a trauma nurse at the time & worked on many of the kids rescued from the collapsed cave. She said the efforts to re-warm them had to be a slow process; their blood was like syrup. The two kids who survived had amputations. My mom remembers Brinton. I was a teen when she told me about this horrible event-- I could not believe the incompetence of some of the adults who led these kids to their deaths. Most of the kids weren't even dressed properly.
Emanuel? My sister was a trauma charge nurse there. Such a small world...
Mt. Hood is a deceptive mountain. The summit looks close from the Timberline lodge on a clear day. Having climbed it twice the toughest and steepest part is the last 1000 feet and by the time you get there you're tired from the trudge up the lower slopes. To bring inexperienced kids up Hood in anything but near perfect weather is foolish.
Thank You! Mountain Climbing is not "safe" ! It's calculated risk based on skill, physical ability and preparedness. I grew up in the northwest. My brother is a firefighter emt and has climbed Mt Rainer multiple times. He is 100% honest that it's not "safe". I remember this and just feeling sick for those kids freezing on the mountain. (They were my age) to require this to graduate? Reckless.
@@teejae2065yes to require that to graduate sounds not just Reckless but kind of cruel
@@teejae2065also I was under the impression that these programs like Outward Bound were often the ones to punish kids that they thought were bad
That's is just sheer stupidity to be required to climb a dangerous, life threatening mountain in order to graduate. Stupid school leaders.
Errr…most mountains are like that.
My ex partner took our son on a climb when he was 16. I was apprehensive because I knew he was an ego driven bully who always made our soon feel insecure.
I knew my son would never have spoken up to him had he felt endangered, or felt any intuition to turn around or, went against his father's ego to get to the top, so it worried me should there be a situation where my ex had to make the right decision.
I was told on their return that bad weather had hit, and they were ten minutes from the summit, but thankfully my ex decided to turn back with our son, and said that it's not worth pushing forward and they could try another time.
I will always be grateful to him for putting his son's welfare first, because a few months later, on that same mountain, a father and son died just 20 minutes from the top. The dad had sadly decided to push on, perhaps ego drove him, or the fact he could taste the victory close.
Always use discernment when talking chances and making choices. Nature will always be bigger than our achievements.
I can only imagine the feeling of utter powerlessness your son must’ve felt in that situation. Not to mention the relief when his father finally turned back towards safety.
Im so glad that your ex grew a pair and kept yalls son safe
🙌🏻🙌🏻❤️
Summit fever is a deadly disease no matter one's ego.
I love your last sentence! So true!!!
“Better safe, than sorry.”
Not just words to live by; words to live.
Christians DON`T know how to live.
Love that. So true.
I was 9 years old, on top of the world seeing the Tetons and Colorado from Wind River Peak. This ended very suddenly when my dad said, "We're leaving NOW!!!" I was sad but clouds were coming in fast. It snowed, hailed and rained on the way down. It was sunny then but NOT up on the peak where we just LEFT IMMEDIATELY TO AVOID GETTING DISORIENTED IN THE FOG AND FALLING OFF. My father was the forest ranger of America's largest untouched wilderness. ❤
A nine year old shouldn't be on top of a mountain. Period.
Your father was a forest ranger that must have been really cool really cool to have a dad that was in touch with what was going on out there and probably got to see some incredible stuff
@mrtruecommenter10000 SO beautiful I believe it rendered me speechless by 10 am !
Im 3 minutes in thinking this is the dumbest idea i ever heard of.
Woefully ignorant
@@BJPalmerDC you should have gone with them if you think its a good idea.
@@bobbriggs9748 quite the contrary! I am in agreement with the OP suggesting the idea of such an excursion is woefully ignorant. Stupidity is lethal.
I lead groups of 15-20 high school students into the backcountry every summer completing 20-30 mile backpacking loops in GSMNF. I take 3 other adults with me and can attest to the dangers inherent to the mountains. Even small accidents can be fatal while otherwise trivial when close to civilization.
I think your rite
Yeah, I agree. What's with the parents thinking this was a good idea for their kids.
Outward bound instructor--professional guide--multiple teachers and experienced climbers. And none of them thought to check the forecast.
They did, but it wasn't supposed to be this bad. Also remember the "forecast" was the news from yesterday, or newspaper. Even satellite images and radar were not used anywhere near like today.
The mistake, and it was an enormous one, was not turning back around 8500' or 8am.
@@PhilAndersonOutside You mean 0800 is 8am.
They're not that smart
@@Saintm-lk5iu No. I mean they needed to turn around at 8,500' elevation. Which was around 8am.
@@PhilAndersonOutside oh okay, my mistake.
A college classmate and I were going up to Mt Hood to snowboard. It was going to be my first time snowboarding, and it was in April. Very clear day, looked gorgeous. We didn't even go up to Timberline, but went to Ski Bowl. We got into parking lot, got our gear, and it was still gorgeous, but we saw the chair lifts had stopped moving. We went to the lodge to get our lift tickets, and they said they lost power from the storm. We were like, "what storm?" But went back to our car, we loaded up, looked west, where we were going, and it was like a wall coming at us. The storm hit hard and fast.
Multipor Ski Bowl! That was where I trained for years! These comments are bringing back memories like crazy! Upper Bowl lift in a storm was a cold place to be.
@@Please_Dont_Call_It_Frisco I like your username (may I add, don't call it Cali, lol)
@@cleanserene6330 Thanks! And agreed, "Cali" makes us shudder. :)
Going through with the climb when there is an impending storm in the forecast was reckless. This was the "experienced" leaders fault. Good video.
My climbing group the Ptarmigan went to climb Mt Hood, due to the bad weather, our instructors decided to not make the climb (we had 5 beginners (I was one) and 6 experienced climbers with us, who had all made multiple ascents of Mt Hood) and instead gave us the option of going the short distance to the hut and back for bad weather experience. We signed in, edit : at the Mt Hood lodge. noting the Seattle Mountaineers group had been there just before us, signed in, and out stating they were not climbing due to the bad weather forecast and storm coming in. Another private group had also signed the book that evening also cancelled their climb, siting the bad weather “and worse forecast”. We went to the hut and back, the high & changeable winds battering us. We signed out, and left. (About midnight, the plan had been to summit at sunrise) I got back to my school dorm at OHSU about 6 am, and exhausted, slept the next 14 hours. The next day, Sunday, the sun came out in the afternoon, and we watched the rescue helicopters flying to back & forth from Mt Hood, as the dorm lounge windows faced the mountain. I always wondered if they signed into the climbing book, a requirement for all climbers on Mt. Hood, and if they thought anything about the premiere climbing/mountaineer organization in the Pacific Northwest (The Mountaineers) cancelling “due to bad weather and worse storm forecast”.
I wonder why that ledger never made the news. The 3 groups before them that weekend cancelled their climb to the summit.
Most religious people ARE irrational and history also shows that clerics should NOT be trusted around young boys.
may go to hell for saying this but it seams priests are always trying to get kids away from everyone, think you see where I'm going with this , makes me wonder it does
Nothing of this trip seems enjoyable! Not a fan of cold
@@ChissyListy-hp7cp… literally NOTHING.
OMG I remember this like it was yesterday! I grew up in Portland. Both my older sisters went to OES, and I skied on Mt. Hood almost as soon as I could walk. I know every edge and slope of that mountain like I know the walls of my childhood bedroom. Hood is beautiful, but she can turn on you in a second. Our parents instilled a solid fear of the rugged OR coast and of Mt Hood in us kids. Both are beautiful in calm weather, deceptively so. The OR coast has a mean untertoe and huge logs that escape from their ship ties roll into the shore with huge force. "Never turn your back on the ocean. No matter what." The caves that reveal brilliant sealife at low tide fill up fast and can trap you if you wander. And Mt. Hood. Those poor kids. The way they were found in that cave sandwiched together... And so agonizingly close to the Palmer liftline and safety. The leaders of that group had no business pushing the kids to continue. They should have been stopped. But hindsight is 20/20. Like many ski racers, I trained on the Palmer glacier each summer. Even years after the tragedy, we all were solemnly respectful of the place where the cave had been. I've skiied over it a thousand times. As its name suggests, Timberline Lodge is already at quite a high elevation (the "timberline" is where the air is too thin for trees to grow, and it is just that- a line where huge fir trees just stop.) I believe Timberline is at about 8,000 ft, and the summit of Hood is about 12,000 ft. Above the timberline, if it's cloudy, you are IN the clouds. A "whiteout" can be so complete, you can't tell the sky from the snow and can barely see your glove in font of you. Zero visibility. It is disconcerting as hell. Add the many crevaces at the glacier level to the whiteout, and that climb was doomed. The kid who survived was so shellshocked. It was terrible. I live in CA now, but this video slammed me back to that day in May so long ago. Thanks for posting.
thanks for a thoughtful comment, and hurray for your parents teaching you to respect nature, and not to expect it cater to our wishes.
It's interesting how often in mountaineering stories you hear terms like "conquered a mountain" or "victory" or "killed by the mountain" or "merciless mountain" - almost as if the old believes in gods and demons that need to be placated ( "or else..." ) are hard to get rid off. Maybe that's how we deal with something so powerful, so ancient, so beautiful and so dangerous?
@@Julia-lk8jn I agree. My dad was an amazing mountaineer, but never had that human-centric need to conquer. He went on some wild adventures, but thought anyone who attempted Everest was crazy or ego-driven, probably both. He believed that Mother Nature shows us whose boss every so often and some places are to be admired and respected without climbing on top of it.
Even with all the warnings and careful watch of us three girls, there were terrifying times. We backpacked deep in the wilderness, and all three of us sisters had our own brush with death. My sister Leslie was lost for hours into the night (she didn't follow the hug a tree and blow your whistle rule), I spotted a black bear cub on a day hike and started running toward it with the intention of petting it (shudder), and Lynn came only a few steps from walking right off a sheer cliff. Lynn didn't die that day, but she did meet a tragic end on a later date.
Those poor kids from OES. It's wild how a story I'd forgotten for so many years can come back in a second.
So, I am also from Portland (and living in SoCal now). I actually knew the Gomans. This was a terrible tragedy for his family also. I never heard the whole story, it was so very painful a subject and I was living here in California by then. They lived in this beautiful house in Westmoreland that doubled as a school center. So long ago.
@@MrKimPage what a small world! We lived on council crest. So many days and nights in govt camp. The OES tragedy was a taboo subject for us as well. Adults whispering in corners. I left Portland to attend usc. I live in the sf Bay Area now
Thank you for your vivid account of it all .I wondered if you were familiar with a similar incident in the mtns of Bavaria at the time of world war 2 : German teacher/leader hell bent on going forward against all advice fatalities also ,Check it out ,the enquiry the political overtones etc .
There's been several of these school mountaineering trips where the teachers and children have died of hypothermia. I'm horrified that this particular one was mandatory for students to attend.
Horrible!
As a parent, I can’t understand why parents let their kids go on such a dangerous hike. When my daughter was a teen and we briefly attended an Episcopal church, the teen group invited her to go on a house building adventure in Mexico. I was already an RN and asked some questions. It didn’t sound safe. So I said no. They probably ended up being okay but it wasn’t worth the risk. Clearly here the pastor was the one pushing hard, but the parentd should never have allowed their kids to go on such a risky outing. So sad.😢
Exactly I would never sign a consent paperwork for my child to do this, ever!
It had been done safely for years prior. They were lulled into a false sense of security.
I've stayed at Timberline Lodge and the view of Mt. Hood's peak is stunning. That being said, I would never under any circumstance allow my child to ascend that peak. These were regular students, not some experienced mountain climbing group. And did I hear right that this undertaking was a REQUIREMENT to graduate? Unbelievable stupidity.
I would never let my kids on a trip like that.
No way would i allow my kid to do this. No way.
Really? 😂
Just like the Titanic, Man's arrogance kills
This story should be remembered so as no one thinks it would be a good idea again. They were just children.😢
They were not 'children'
@@michaelmueller7962no? Were they adults?
Why did the narrator Say they were children?
10th grade. Sounds like kids to me.
I am 43 years old and have never heard about this until now!
@@michaelmueller7962 Red flag when someone doesn't know that a teenager is a child.
In terms of culpability by an educational institution for something going wrong during an outdoor expedition, this is as bad as it gets. Had Goman survived he probably would have been charged with manslaughter.
Our first attempt to climb Mt. Hood, my son was 12 years old. He had got the bug a year eariler when I introduced him to Saddle Mtn. a high point in the coast range. We climbed all the trails in the Columbia Gorge ending with Mt. Defiance. a similar elevation gain but at lower altitude and a training hike for Hood. I had summited Hood a few years before. We waited for the best season (spring), a full (or near) moon, 3 days of predicted clear skys, and started out with all the gear at 1am. We made it up to just about the bottom of the Hogsback and he just ran out of gas in the high altitude. He slept an hour or so before we headed back down. He was very disappointed. He's now 31 and I can't keep up with him anymore but I think he's climbed it around 20 times plus about all the Cascade volcanoes around the Pacific Northwest. The moral of the story: Respect the mountain.
The irony of this is at the time, and even now, one could rightfully believe something like a hike up Mt. Defiance would be a very good challenge for someone to do as a group at 15. It is not an easy hike at all, but there is also a radio tower and jeep road to the top up the back side, so if something went terribly wrong for whatever the reason, you wouldn't be that far from help.
@@PhilAndersonOutside It's just sad to think of all the safer but challenging alternatives OES could have offered for this tradition. My high school had an annual multi-day PCT hike. The point is to test your resolve safely and experience the beauty of this region as a mile marker on the way to adulthood. This doesn't have to be a high stakes event. My heart goes out to all the families and the survivors.
Gomans recklessness must shoulder much of the blame but why did the experienced climber Summers not pressure Goman to turn around?
Climbing without ice axes, crampons or sleeping bags was irresponsible to say the least.
just thank your local religious organization
@@cathyfitzgerald3032 oh so the son of God was looking after them?
Well that explains a lot then . . .
That's the luxury of hindsight. When you're in the situation, it looks like perserverance, or trusting in your abilites and those of the climbers, ... and then after everything went bad, it's obvious that it was recklessness all along.
I think events like this can and should be used to learn, to spot the warning signals.
Or I guess they can be used for bias confirmation ... see various exhibits in the comment section.
@@Julia-lk8jn climbing peaks like Mt Hood can be quite the dangerous pastime.
Thorough planning with contingencies for bad weather and/or conditions should be the order of the day, even more so when responsible for a group of young minors, rather than learning through "hindsight".
"Oops" after the event doesn't quite cut it.
@@Julia-lk8jn Bias confirmation and revelation of faith in the Perfect Safety Fallacy. Ugh.
“What tenth grader would say no to an adventure like this?” UMMM TENTH GRADE ME WOULD NEVERR!! I would have had to get a doctors note because baby hell no
A melanated one like me ✋🤭
😂😂😂@@straight.no.chaser1708
I’m right there with you!!!
Same! Would have been a hard NO THANK YOU!!!
Ya tenth grade me would be at the hotel smokin a fatty
Hearing of the one survivor losing his legs choked me up. What a tragic result of surviving. I hope he’s found happiness regardless of that tragedy.
It is so easy to die while climbing even on a nice sunny day. I recall free climbing the sheer side of a small cliff, about 100 yds or so high. I was inexperienced cocky and unprepared. About halfway up the handholds became less and less, I struggled on minute after minute until I was exhausted. Exhausting kills more than any other error. With hands shaking I detoured to the side where there was some Thorn bushes and it was a little easier to reverse until I got caught in the thorns.
There came a moment where I wanted to just let go and give up my arms were shaking from exhaustion, and it was a literal decision to make keep going or fall and die. It took everything I had but luckily I had enough left, to get myself all the way up to the tree line.
I'll never forget the experience because it put me in a place where I knew what it was like to choose life, truly choose it.
That whole school teachers and leaders who did this should be charged with murder there is NO way these kids were in any way ready for this.
Manslaughter
Let me guess: you screaming for the punishment of teachers *who weren't even involved in this* is your way of showing how much you care about children, and what a wonderful person you are?
Okay, oh defender of precious children. What sort of _work_ do you actually invest? Do you help out at schools? Do you volunteer for organizing youth activities, or you tutor children for free?
By the way, I'm really, really scared that this "all the teachers are murders" got 42 upvotes. I'm surprised that anybody still works as a teacher,
I see your point, i m a teacher myself but he din t say every teacher should be chargée just the ones that let the for expedition and kept pressing foward leading these kids to their deaths instead of just turn around.
@@Julia-lk8jn Settle down. You're over-reacting.
You clearly do not know or understand the definition of murder.
If you want a day trip, go to the zoo.Don't decide to hike a mountain .
lol Joseph. This is by no means funny but your comment go to zoo is hilarious in this terrible situation
zoo's depress me greatly
@@SavingSoulsMinistries As, I am sure, do many other things. And do lots of things cause you anxiety? Offense?
This comment section shows a cross-sample of how we've produced such weak, fearful, anxiety-ridden and feckless generations of youth. Live briefly, and do not prosper.
Exactly!
Focusing only on the question of when to turn back is missing the main point: They never should have gone in the first place, obviously. Multiple-day storms were predicted. No one, including the "expert" guide could see the obvious.
And this using of "declining mental states" to explain Goman's actions is pathetic. He behaved consistently foolish from the very start, long before the trip even began. Terrible planning, little useful preparation, utterly negligent behaviour on behalf of all the adults involved but particularly Goman and Summers. They should have both gone to prison for years.
There is unverified evidence he had several discussions with the other adults, and at one point before they finally turned back, Summers took him aside and implored them to turn around, but Goman would have none of it, and Summers didn't feel right abandoning them when he believed most of the students would follow Goman and see Summers actions as mutiny.
Never ever ever turn back..... follow the line to infinity ♾️
Sounds bogus. And the kids would have gladly followed Summers. @@PhilAndersonOutside
I agree with you, but I thought they were implying a decline in cognitive function unrelated to the climb. It would be interesting to know if he was cavalier about weather conditions or didn't take proper equipment on previous climbs, or if this was a change in behavior. But, regardless there were other adults (including the parents) who should have known better.
I will never understand the mentality of people who enjoy dangerous situations like climbing mountains. I think it's an addiction to adrenaline. I am never impressed by such feats. I just think people are crazy.
Junki adrenaline. I refused in 1998. One expert broke his leg.
I will never understand the mentality of people who enjoy safe lives like never doing anything challenging or outside their comfort level. I think it's an addiction
to a false sense of safety. I am never impressed by such feats. I just think people are crazy. - from opposite perspective land!
I grew up skiing on Mt. Hood. It’s a chill resort and the lodge is basically a mountain hotel. It’s very easy to underestimate it.
It’s not uncommon to go up the lift with a clear view of the sky, only to have a sudden fog roll in and reduce your line of sight to just a few feet in front of you. The weather changes are no joke
I would never let my kids do that. I’m an outdoorsman myself. And I know what it takes to do stuff and kids shouldn’t be allowed to climb that mountain and schools. Should know better than to risk kids lives.
My brother is a very experienced mountain climber, and has climbed Hood and Rainier. .neither of his 2 children ever did more than hikes at the lower areas. He never pushed them because it's not "safe" and not for everyone.
@@teejae2065 yeah I don’t understand how a school can make you do that. I would be telling Them to F. Off. Nobody puts my kids in danger
Listen to the founder of the program/Outward Bound: "The experience of helping a fellow man in danger or even of training in a realistic manner to be ready to give this help tends to change the balance of power in a youth's inner life."
He's talking about 15 year old's as if they're signing up to go into battle! They're KIDS! The only thing they should worry about is getting good grades and doing positive things that'll enrich their young lives before they go off into the big world.
@@isabellind1292 I dont think you understand biology. When I was just 10 I could do 20 pull ups. Spend all day outside. And probably outrun vast majority of adults in here.
And the average 15 year old is stronger, healthier, and more physically able than the average 30 year old
So please, stop insulting 15 year olds by calling them kids
This outward bound program sounds like a dream come true for many teenagers and young adults. People like you should speak for yourself, not for other kids. Its these kinds of trips that actually save more lives because it makes these kids healthy both mentally and physically, and teaches them survival skills should they need them down the line
@@artyomarty391 You must think that the definition of "kid" (a young person) in every single dictionary is insulting to young people! Even the rescuers referred to them as "kids." You didn't single out them or the OP who referred to them as "kids." Why is that?!
Well, I don't care what you think or what you did when you were 10 yrs old, not to mention I'm speaking for myself. It's called my OPINION and if you don't like it, too bad! No kid of mine is going to go on wild goose chases up mountains w/adults who don't know wtf they're doing! You do what you like!
Criminal negligence and incompetence.
They were sued, and eventually settled. The papers are sealed.
OJ simpson was innocent
@@michael-4k4000 No he wasn't. Try again.
This sounds absolutely horrific. I almost cried in listening to this story. If you're a teacher or student leader, you really have to be doubly and triply careful concerning the welfare of the students. I am a teacher myself. In my youth, i also had 2 scary mountain climbing experiences myself in the Himalayas near Mt. Everest; both of them involved glaciers.
I can’t believe I came across this, because when this tragedy unfolded I was on I-5 northbound at Mt Ashland Pass just north of the border from California, the time was about 4-5pm, when out of nowhere the weather had changed dramatically, first rain fell in buckets, I’m from Oregon and I know rain, this wasn’t ordinary rain, then in an instant came snow, flakes the size of baseballs, so dense and blinding that I couldn’t see the road in front of me. Never in my lifetime had I witnessed weather this extreme, when I arrived home in Portland, hours later than I was expected, and having been through that ordeal, it was the middle of May, and I couldn’t believe that such a freak storm hit like it did, even in Oregon! Later when I watched the news I was stunned to first find out about the school kids on Mt Hood, and here’s the part that pulls this all together, just days earlier the nuclear power plant Chernobyl had exploded, and the fallout from it had first circulated clockwise in the atmosphere over Russia, Europe, then over the North Pole and then western Canada and then dropped over the Pacific Northwest! It would eventually travel the world. I knew then that we would never be told or understand the consequences of that catastrophe. My condolences to the families who lost loved ones on that mountain and everyone else that witnessed what has mostly been forgotten.
EXCELLENT SHORT STORY! Just proves documentary excellence does not require endless useless bable. Thank for telling this heart wrenching story and is a SUPERB WARNING TO MT. HOOD HIKERS!
From what I have learned from such stories is that bad weather comes unexpectedly and overpowers climbers. You should never take chances and think you can beat nature. You can't. Turn back. Do not mess with your luck, no matter how experienced you think you are. Just do not walk into your demise. Especially if you are responsible for others.
Snow cave? That's not warm, they need to build a house out of wood... come on now
Reminds me of when a British School had an excursion in the mountains of Germany in the 1930's led by a teacher with the same disastrous results.
"Germany...1930s"
This is haunting for another reason too. :-/
The fact that they were on the mountain killed them. Safety above pride. The mountain will be there tomorrow. He did kill them by not being the adult in the room.
A requirement to graduate? I've never heard of such a stupid thing.
Neither have I, that’s insane
what a total jerk to push those kids to their end. men with egos. how lovely.
Thank you for posting this video,it was so heartbreaking to hear what happened to those people. The nine who died and the fortune survivors went through a very unique hell during the days and nights on the mountain. It's incredible to hear that the last female survivor became a doctor!
God bless each of them !
Kids don't need to be put through this level of a difficult climb/experience to 'grow character'. Ridiculous & tragic, especially given the weather conditions. Thank heaven the one girl's mom backed her up, same with the 4 other kids who listened to their intuition & resisted the leaders' pressure! It's sickening how often people in charge of children expect them to have adult level abilities! 😢❤The ending - "Live brave!"? How about be brave but also be smart & cautious!
Great job telling the story. This video is put together much better than some. Thank you!
Climbers should be 21 years old. School was insane for promoting this climb. Principal needed to be fired & sued.
No, the principal should not be fired. That seems to be the knee-jerk reaction every time an event goes wrong; fire the head person, as if he/she is personally responsible for the tragedy. This is a good, well intentioned life learning experience for these students met this time by bad decisions by the leader on this climb, not the principal. The fault was not the principal's. It was Gorman's. The school should keep this climb for the students, with stricter rules for required gear to carry and decision making based on weather conditions and forecasts by the climb leaders.
@@GitplickerFired? Try prosecuted. Probably a pe@o
This was required to graduate, not optional. It took a lot for the ones thart turned back to do so.
@@GitplickerBest comment ..Thank you for looking at this with a mature and honest assessment. Too many people just want to fire someone and sue. This terrible mindset permeates society today and is ruining once important lessons that were taught to young people.
This was also the fault of the principal because the school REQUIRED this trip. The principal is in charge of such things and yes, also needs to be fired or sued or disciplined.
WTF is the matter with these 'teachers'?
Religion in place of common sense. "Requiring" a literal mountain climb without regard to experience, physical ability, and / or understanding the weather is atrocious. Kids don't feel they have the right to question the authority of thier priest or teachers. Thankfully, a few did. It's "faith" absent common sense.
@@teejae2065 Faith _can_ be deadly. Critical thinking is _always_ advantageous.
It seems the "professional" guide was also lacking critical thinking as well. In fact, it would have only required one reasonable adult with a firm will to avoid this disaster. When you're committed, it's very easy to make parents fearful for their children's safety, but no one seemed to speak up forcefully at any time leading up to the date of the climb.
Wtf is wrong with the parent's
@brendathomas1435 For what it's worth, they had every reason to trust, like their kids did.
Authority (power) comes with responsibility, and the authority here failed everyone.
Exactly! WTF?!
I'm bewildered a school would do this in the first place.
Its typical in a religious school They're actually a terrible place to raise your child.
"wE aRe tHe sTrOnGeSt aNd bEsT"...theis type of pride is very common in schools regardless of whether they are parochial. Here, it ended with very grizzly results. :-(
@plateshutoverlock Maybe it's an Australian thing then?
We never had "school pride".
School's don't interact with each other here.
I have climbed Hood twice, and on a third attempt, in May, experienced a white-out and blizzard just a few thousand feet above timberline. We decided to turn around, and abandoned the attempt. I cannot believe the terrible experience these peopled went through. Ho tragic!
People who organized that trip were insane. 😢
Mount Hood has had a long reputation for being a dangerous and deadly mountain to climb.
Yes. It is very deceptive. There is only one technical section, but it's near the top. On a clear day you can easily see the summit, and climbers going up. But the weather can also turn very quickly. Very, very quickly.
and the religious zealots should stay away from kids & mountains!
The weather changes on a dime, the deceptive elevation increase right before the summit, and those crevaces are everywhere. Ice axes and crampons are necessary.
@@PhilAndersonOutside you aren't lying
Who would say no? Apparently, anyone who wanted to fail school. I grew up in the Northwest..there is nothing "safe" about mountain climbing . Its calculating risk. My brother has climbed Rainer multiple times. He is a professional FireFighter EMT and experienced climber. Deciding God would 'protect' these kids and Damn the reality was deciding not to use the good sense God gave you. Students do not feel ok to refuse leaders instruction (Thank God some did!) I remember looking at the mountains for years after this thinking about those kids freezing to death. I'm glad they at least stopped "requiring" it.
Religious freaks will do this sort o thing. Its terribly abusive IMHO
There was a similat incident in the 1936 when a British school teacher, Kenneth Keast, took his students on hike on a mountain in Germany in bad weather despite being warned by the locals. Several boys died because of the ego of this treacher.
The minute the weather turns south
My as is headed down
I will never.
Understand?
Why people want to do things in snowy conditions don't sound like fun to me. The only thing I like to do in the snow is look out.The window of snow lodge
Amen , nothing I love more than the outdoors until it snows then I love the indoors more
I don't want to be outside with any precipitation of any kind.
I'm Australian.
I'll stick with the sunny beaches.
Ikr. I get it if you're super experienced and want to go solo or with a partner.
As a field trip with youngsters? No way.
As someone who has waterfall ice climbed, as well as solo snowshoe overnight backpacked in winter, I can say there is a level of personal gratification, when you reach for something and achieve it.
Presuming you are reaching within limits, and taking all safety precautions (which this group did not).
Did I hear correctly ? ONE sleeping bag for 15 children ? No risk assessment done then. Unbelievable.
"What tenth grader would say no to an adventure like this?"
...ME. All day, every day.
So very sad. They were too young and inexperienced for such task.
An outward bound guide got snow blindness? surely they would know enough to wear goggles? Why did she return alone? At this point the whole group should have turned back.
Did you miss the part where it said that they didn't pack the appropriate gear?
I worked for Savin at the time as field engineer.
The Oregon Episcopal School was one of our clients with enough document processing going on for me to have visited occasionally across a couple of years.
They carried on but what a cost.
Few understand how dangerous mountains can be.
We vacationed in Maine a few years back. On the way home, we stopped by Mount Washington and drove the auto road to the summit. The temp at the bottom was 88°F, 62❤°F at the summit
My boy and his friend wanted to hike down. While we had time to kill, I could see high cloud cover moving in. Not the kind that produces weather, but the kind that produces shade.
By the time we drove back down, the temp at the bottom was 55°F. They likely would have experienced 40's on the trail, in July. Mt Washington isn't even a big mountain, but it's enough to affect the weather on its own.
I've been in the Smokies, at only a 3-4k of elevation when a super cold rain starts up in the middle of a heat wave, so cold you have to put on a fleece under your rain jacket to prevent hypothermia.
I read a story from Shakleton's failed attempt to traverse the Antarctic through the South Pole back in the early 1900s with my 4th grade students every year. I'm sure many here are very familiar with this story, better than me perhaps. One of his three failures btw. Yet, he is considered perhaps the greatest explorer of that continent by virtue of his instincts of survival and his leadership. We forget how valuable failures are, when all they leave behind is an able body able to get up, and try again next time. God bless all that have the spirit to adventure into danger, IMO, proving that life is only worth living when living fully.
This was an excellent presentation! Thank you for posting it. Very shocking.
Why would ANYONE even dare climb anything in icy cold conditions.
And what's the point of climbing a mountain anyway?? Sounds just stupid to me.
The Mountain Never Cries: A Mother's Diary is written by Giles mom... incredible book, expect rivers of tears
I cannot imagine a school taking kids on a journey of this magnitude. Bet they never did it again!!! RIP
Did u watch the video? The climb was a Requirement???? N did State that happens Every Yr?
No way in hell yould i allow my child participate in something like this even if only good weather was perfect expected. Just crazy and irresponsible
Mt Hood is really intoxicating. I attempted to climb it two summers ago by myself. I made it to Hogsback in good time and the Summit seemed like it was right there. I had know plans of summiting that day and didnt have an ice axe or proper crampons. But the day was beautiful and the urge to keep going was strong. Ultimately I came to my senses and decided it was a horrible idea and I decided to turn back. But the image of the Summit was haunting me and I felt like a failure for some odd reason.
My daughter is an Outward Bound instructor and university outdoor educator. She recently brought her students out of a course in the Cascades because the weather shifted. They were well-equipped but there was no way she would risk lives to complete a planned trip. This story is heartbreaking.
A perfect storm of mistakes....
I just don't understand why a person would want to risk their life or limb for what ? Give the sun and warmth every time .
I'm sorry, but these parents are absolute fools
Obviously you didn't grow up around mountains. Children grow up hiking, skiing, snow boarding mountains all the time.
My sons soccer teacher takes him on hikes to underground caves in Thailand land all the time. Nothing bad every happen to them. So there....
You are not smart
@@annieoakley4795this is a bit different from skiing and hiking, or snowboarding, my kids grew up in the mountains and they only did that, not ever wanting to climb mt hood!
@@Django2424 maybe your children but we did it all. Point is that it depends on where/how you grew up. Wasn't too long ago that it seemed there was competition amongst parents and children to see how young a pilot could be. My mother would've never allowed me to fly a plane at 8 yo but some were.
Yes you definitely CAN assign blame!!! Goman!
Even in the Army we have a saying, "Crawl, walk, run". And you don't go forward until mastering each phase.
I still remember hearing this on the news, when I lived close enough to the mountain to see it's snow covered summit from my hometown in Oregon. It's so sad to hear all the gruesome details now, (not in the newspaper) so many years later while I'm working overseas. That mountain has claimed an incredible number of lives, mainly because so many don't respect a mountain less than 4,000 meters high. I've hiked and skied all over that mountain as a youth, but never climbed the summit. I'm not sorry I didn't.
This story is so very sad 😞 im in the 🇬🇧 so have never heard of their ordeal. Thank you for sharing, hopefully someone learns from this 🙏🏴🇬🇧
There's a procedure where you use warm saline to warm the abdominal cavity of hypothermic victims. You circulate warm saline thru the abdominal cavity. This is a newer procedure. I wonder if that might have saved more people once they got to the hospital. In medicine, we learn that no one is dead, until they are warm and dead. My heart goes out to the victims.
I'm a nurse, RR not ER/trauma. Only learned recently while watching a streamed murder trial involving man found half buried in snow post blizzard, that despite having no pulse, with a body temp 82° when found, he needed to be warmed at hospital before dearth could be pronounced.
Fantastic reporting and channel. Great video, too! New, loyal subscriber here as well as passing you on to many others! Thank you!
Once was returning from a trip in the snowy mountains in Tasmania we came upon a group of kids in summer clothing, happily moving on. My friend who was experienced in the conditions there became very angry with their guides, and told them in no uncertain terms to get the hell back with their group. The weather was not too bad, but I trusted this friend to know what he was doing, him being trained in the Australian army to be a soldier’s trainer in guerrilla warfare. It would have been nice if this group had encountered someone like him…
Too painful to keep watching, I wonder how many kids begged to stop and go back 😢
Five students managed to leave before the disaster. Hilary Spray (and her mom Sharon), Lorca Smetana, Courtney Boatsman, John Whitson, and Michael Garrett turned back. Spray had a stomach ache while Smetana was suffering from cramps. Boatsman left because she had a gut feeling something bad will happen. Whitson was feeling sick and Garrett went with him. Spray said Goman pressured her and other kids to stay, but her and her mom went back, with Smetana and Boatsman following them soon after. Whitson also said that Goman told him “What, you’re giving up on what could be the greatest moment of your life?” The Dean of Students, Marion Horwell, also was freezing but was pressured into staying
I'm not sure when Whitson and Garrett departed, as there's barely anything on Whitson and nothing for Garrett, but Smetana and Boatsman left before Dee Zduniak did. Goman finally decided to turn back when Summers told him numerous times about a storm coming and after Patrick McGuinness began suffering from hypothermia. Summers also realized he needed to go and look for help when Goman couldn't count to ten, and a student, Molly Schula, went with him.
@@milesmagalhaes8987ya we all watched this. I think she means the ones who weren't allowed to like Patrick.
Turning back due to knowledge of changing conditions is not quiting, it's wisdom.
I blame this all on Goman. He was the adult and had the lives of these children in his hands. They trusted him to take care of them. Let's face it , he wanted to the summit that day and risked everyone's life to do it ! God bless the 2 kids that lived. Even though they suffered losses, I know they are strong spirited people who will do great things . Heavenly Father loves them.
I'm seeing this comment only a few minutes into this video and horrified that only 2 kids survived 😢💔
*'Adding to the Bumbling*
*InCompetence of the Group'*
Crazy. Life changing!!! Extreme testing !!! Why ??? Total madness, criminal !!!!
I read about this , and the craziest thing to me was , the parents all agreed to never speak of this instructor. He was so responsible for their lives being lost , it was a needless tragedy. He pushed them too hard , and it was so reckless to continue on in the storm. 😢
The longer I think about this, the angrier I get. Foolish foolish school leaders and professionals too for taking sophomores up that mountain. Besides the fact that this required technical climbing, any one of those students could have ended up with altitude sickness or hypothermia. Insane!!!! I wouldn't have let my kids go! When they told me that my child couldn't graduate without this experience, I would have yanked my kid out of that school at lightning speed. I'm a high school teacher and just can't believe the stupidity.
Wearing jeans! Jeans are not warm without long johns.
As a 10th grader I would absolutely refuse to have any part of a trip like that.
Thank you for sharing this story. 29:12 I can appreciate the journey was terrifying and brought out many
About 3 years ago my boyfriend and I rented a cabin at the base of Mount Hood. We had booked a stargazing tour on Mount hood. There was a terrible storm that came through the people who were doing the tour still were doing the tour!! The next morning we were snowbound in our cabin and walked into town for coffee. It was worth loosing $200 not to be lost on top of that stupid Mountain!! We aired on the side of caution.. the next morning we felt we made the right decision.
A group of students is a challenge under the best of circumstances. (former school nurse here who used to take 8th graders camping) Don't understand how this was ever approved. So sorry for all involved
Listen to your inner self. That is God talking to you. LISTEN
Wisest thing I ever heard. Can I start my life over, knowing that?
I must admit there are a few tasks one may want to complete before bad weather hits but summiting a mountain isn't one of them. For me, a highly experience couch potato, mowing the lawn before a big rain, covering the plants to protect them from frost or securing things on the deck are are reasonable tasks I would consider doing to beat the weather... but summiting a mountain with school age children seems a little extreme.
Imagine if they had all just followed that guy and girl, they would have all or most all of them been fine. Not sure why they thought to just stay in the cave. I’d been like “nope, I’m coming with yall”. Either finding help/safety or going to die trying but I ain’t dying sitting in a small hole inside a mountain doing nothing.
That being said, the guy leading the group Gorman, looked like a straight up pedo and one of those cult leaders and if it wasn’t for his dumbass, this would never had happened. So many signs to turn around when you have a group of young and inexperienced people following you. You don’t sit there and see bad weather coming in and just keep risking it until the point it’s too late like that in a group that is just there learning and on top of that you aren’t adequately prepared for anything that goes wrong. If you’re going hiking on a damn snow covered mountain like that, everyone should always have enough safety gear to keep you as warm and comfortable as possible and give you the best chance of survival if something goes wrong and can last you for a few days. I’ll never understand why people go hiking shit like this so ill prepared
In retrospect that's easy to say, but at the time maybe it seemed like a worse option. If things had turned out differently, they could have died and the other been rescued.
If you recall, the 2 that left the cave got lost and just by sheer good luck they stumbled to a different lodge 2 miles off course from where they were intending to go. They were extremely lucky to have survived. If they had missed that other lodge, they would have died.
Those two knew they wouldn't be able to give directions back to the cave.
I personally would never have allowed my son to attend this trip. Especially after I heard there was a storm brewing. I’d prefer my child to just not graduate than to bury him. Guess what? Dead people don’t graduate either. I pray for the victims, their families as well as the survivors.
These kids should have never been on that mountain, Mt Hood is dangerous.
The adults,including school officials who allowed this should have done jail time for negligence, child .
Not right,at all 😢
Negligence by ego maniac
Well stated!
And negligence by religion!
How is the troop leader not 100% to blame due to his hubris nearly all lives were lost
Just like with the Titanic, Man's arrogance kills!!
Knowing when to say "no" and then saying it, is one of the most important things in life! We humans don't have the instincts that many animals have, because we have a complex brain to help us use our instinctive feelings, "gut feeling" to say NO when we need to. Listen to that internal voice and use it to help you make important decisions in life! There is NO SHAME in saying "no" if you need to, don't worry about what "others" may think, stick to your premonitions and first decisions! If you analyze things too much, you're apt to give in to "second thoughts" that may NOT be in your best interest!