GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. -- The effort to find two climbers missing on Mt. Hood is now a recovery mission, officials announced at a Wednesday afternoon press conference.
David Nolan, Katie's father, thanked searchers for their efforts saying "they have done everything that they could do." Nolan described the search as "like trying to find a needle in a haystack."
"We know that Katie is in heaven," Nolan added. "She has lived a life that is exemplary."
"Katie loved the mountain so much she wanted to be buried up there. And right now she is," said Nolan.
John Viette, Anthony Viette's father, also thanked searchers and expressed his faith in God. "This has not shaken our faith, it has strengthened it," said Vietti.
Vietti said the last correspondence he had with his son was a handwritten note included in a birthday present the son sent to his mother, expressing his love and his anticipation for seeing his parents soon. "That was the last correspondence we had with him, and we will always cherish it," said Vietti.
Weather thwarts search
Crews had hoped for a break in the weather Wednesday for one last possible air search over Mt. Hood but the weather never cleared. A series of storms has dumped nearly two feet of snow on Mt. Hood in the past two days.
Images from the cell phone of the third climber, Luke Gullberg, whose body was found Friday, revealed that all three climbers reached Reid Glacier, and suggest that there was an accident involving Nolan. Investigators believe Gullberg then tried to rappel to get help. His body was found at the 9,000 foot level, at the base of the 1,500-foot headwall of the Reid Glacier.
Investigators suspect Nolan was injured because mountaineers found just one of her gloves Saturday with the body of Gullberg at the base of the Reid headwall. The slope rises at a 50-degree angle from the glacier to within a few hundred feet of relatively easier climbing to the top above 11,000 feet. They found neither of Gullberg's gloves, Thompson said, leading them to think that Nolan had lost one of hers in the accident, that Gullberg had left her his, along with his pack, and that he had headed downhill, taking Nolan's single glove for whatever warmth it would provide. After a fall in which he suffered bruises and scrapes, Gullberg died of exposure. Nearby were tracks and some of his equipment, including a camera whose pictures gave rescue workers information about the route and equipment the climbers took.
Time an enemy of search
Searchers have been sidelined since Monday afternoon by weather conditions, forced to wait out a snowstorm that's dumped nearly two feet of new snow on the mountain. Their only hope had been that Anthony Vietti and Katie Nolan were hunkered down in a snow cave somewhere on the mountain.
However, by late Tuesday, searchers said the two climbers' chances of survival were only one percent.
Climber fell, died of hypothermia
On Monday, a deputy state medical examiner said that the third climber, 26-year-old Luke Gullberg of Des Moines, Wash., had died from hypothermia after he fell. Dr. Christopher Young said Gullberg had suffered minor injuries - cuts, scrapes and bruises - apparently caused by a fall. Responders on the mountain believe the 26-year-old was still able to move himself after falling an unknown distance. His body showed no marks from harnesses or ropes. Young determined that the fall had not injured him badly enough to kill him and that he died of exposure.
The trio, longtime friends who'd met through church, according to family, had set out early Friday with plans to summit the mountain and then return mid-afternoon - a 13-hour roundtrip, according to registration documents they'd filed at Timberline Lodge. Friends and family described them all as "experienced climbers." When they did not return as scheduled, friends alerted authorities. PHOTOS: Climbers
"Deep scan" finds nothing
Searchers took advantage of a clearing in the weather Monday and scoured the upper elevations of Mount Hood on foot and from above in military helicopter. Timeline: Climbers' trek, rescue effort
"We have two experienced climbers that were well equipped and that's why we are going to continue on," said Strovink. "We owe that to the climbers and to their families, and that's what we are going to do." The goal of the mission remained search and rescue, said Strovink.
Monty Smith with Portland Mountain Rescue flew in an Oregon National Guard Blackhawk helicopter for several hours, performing what searchers called a "deep scan" of the mountain for evidence of the two missing climbers. PHOTOS: Helicopter search
"We got extremely good visibility of all the expected climbing routes, with a chance to see all the likely and backup routes. We did not detect anything out of the ordinary, gear or people," Smith said, calling the results "very discouraging."
"Where we're searching is a complex system of gullies and ridges. Each gully has the tendency to accumulate snow," said Steve Rollins, a Mountain Rescue specialist, at a Monday morning press conference. "The dangers in this area [for the missing climbers and rescuers] include ... high avalanche danger, rock fall, ice fall. Anywhere on that face, there's the concern that someone would fall off the face of the mountain."
Weather impedes search
The threat of avalanches forced teams who had been searching on foot back to base camp Saturday and avalanche danger continued to impede searchers Sunday. Monday's break in the weather gave rescuers their best opporunity to scan the mountain for the missing climbers. Rescuers indicated they'd eliminated possibility of the pair being below 10,000 feet and on Monday a fresh effort to locate the two near Mt. Hood's 11,239-foot summit was unsuccessful. PHOTOS: Rescue effort
Climbers all experienced
A friend to the climbers told authorities they were "very experienced" in mountain climbing. Vietti was a member of Olympic Mountain Rescue in Washington, according to the OMR website.
Dennis Simons, a chaplain with the Sandy Fire and Police Department met with relatives of the three climbers. He said they were all devout Christians who "dedicated their lives serving and giving to others." Nolan has traveled worldwide, at one point helping to rescue young women from the slave trade, Simons said.
Of the three climbers, Gullberg was the most experienced. Relatives were helping his parents cope with the death of their son and praying that the other two would still be found alive, Simons said.
Vietti's aunt, Teri Preiss thanked well-wishers across the country who held out hope that the pair would be found. She said the three were close friends who'd met at church - and that Luke Gullberg had "died as he lived, passionately giving his all."
"These three have summitted Mount Adams, summitted Mount Baker ... they are some of the strongest individuals I've ever met," she said.
Gullberg's camera was found by rescuers on Saturday who said there were closeup photos of the three climbers, all smiling and having a good time. Rescuers said the images helped them narrow the search area. The photos also showed the group had standard mountaineeering gear including helmets and ropes.
Video archive: Search effort on Mt. Hood
Climbers had cell phone, no beacon
The three climbers did have a cell phone that was briefly activated about 1:30 a.m. Friday as they were leaving Timberline Lodge to begin their ascent, Strovink said. None of the climbers were carrying locator beacons or anything that would provide a signal with which to pinpoint their location, Strovink said.
Steve Rollins of Portland Mountain Rescue told KGW that a locator beacon would not have helped searchers in this case.
He added that the Search and Rescue community in Oregon unanimously opposes mandating that climbers carry beacons, and that "the public tends to take increased risks when they carry devices such as beacons because they feel they will be rescued if they carry one."
"That increases the risks to rescuers," he said. Rollins also noted that climbers preparing for technical routes scrutinize each piece of equipment they carry, given the likelihood of needing it versus the added pack weight, and that a strong argument can be made both for carrying a beacon and leaving it behind.
Deceased climber was officer's son
Luke Gullberg was the son of Washington State Patrol Ret. Sgt Rod Gullberg, who is a current civilian research analyst with the WSP
Luke Gullberg's Myspace site includes a blog with photographs of past climbs. He lists the Bible first as his favorite book and his heroes are his parents. His favorite Bible passage is Proverbs 4:23. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."
Autopsy results concluded that Gullberg died of hypothermia after a long slow fall, according to The Oregonian.
Saturday, WSP leaders issued a statement, saying "Chief Batiste and all the members of the Washington State patrol send our deepest condolences to the Gullberg family. We know that Rod and Luke were close as father and son, and as climbing partners. Words can not express the sorrow we feel this evening."
Mt. Hood popular, but deadly
Mount Hood, the tallest mountain in Oregon, is a popular destination for climbers in the United States. In 25 years, it has been the site of dozens of climbing accidents and fatalities. The worst on record happened in May 1986 when nine people -- seven students from Oregon Episcopal School and two adults -- died after they dug a snow cave during a sudden storm.
The latest search comes almost exactly three years after another trio of experienced climbers died on Mount Hood during a December 2006 blizzard. The family of Kelly James, who was the only person in that climbing trio whose body was ever found, clung to their faith to get through the tragedy.
MORE: History of fatalities on Mount Hood
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
