By Kasia Hall
The Oregonian
PORTLAND, Ore. — A climber on Mount Hood who slid and hit his head was rescued Wednesday afternoon.
Clackamas County sheriff’s deputies launched the rescue operation after receiving a report around 8:30 a.m. of a fallen climber. The climber, 62-year-old Edward Trompke of Lake Oswego, began his hike with his son around 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
At one point during the hike, Trompke and his son decided to turn around because Trompke was suffering from a cramp, the sheriff’s office said. While walking back down, Trompke slid about 200 feet and hit his head. He was unable to hike down after the fall, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office’s Search and Rescue Team, American Medical Response’s Reach and Treat Team and trained volunteers from Portland Mountain Rescue responded to the call.
At 12:15 p.m., paramedics with AMR reached Trompke, assessed his injuries and determined he could be taken down the mountain on a sked device, the sheriff’s office said. Portland Mountain Rescue brought Trompke down the mountain.
The extent of Trompke’s injuries is unknown, the sheriff’s office said.
Although Trompke had a cell phone with him, he did not have a Mountain Locator Device. The sheriff’s office encourages anyone climbing the mountain to have a locator device.
©2015 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.)