Climber Falls 500 Feet To Death On Mount Hood

GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. — A man fell to his death while climbing Mount Hood on Sunday.  Witnesses told search and rescue crews that he fell about 500′ on the popular Old Chute route at approximately 10,500′ elevation.

Rescuers used ropes to reach the climber, but he was already dead.  The man was with his adult son.  He was identified on Wednesday as 64-year-old Patrick Stretch of Spokane, Washington.

It has been an unusually busy weekend for climbing on Mount Hood.  The road to Timberline Lodge was closed early Sunday morning after the parking lot filled up.

Portland Mountain Rescue warns climbers to be cautious as warm weather can create very unstable conditions including falling ice.