| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ritchey, Larry | 34 | Male | Hypothermia | Not recorded |
On Friday, November 25, Larry Ritchey (34) began a projected three day hike through the winter wilderness on the north slopes of Mount Hood in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. He was warmly dressed, with long underwear, wool pants and shirt, parka, mittens and rubber-soled boots, and equipped with food and shelter. He left an itinerary with friends, planning to be back by Tuesday the 29th. On Sunday the weather produced snow and as he slowly snow-shoed along, he suddenly plunged into a snow-covered hole, falling 12-14 feet, landing on his back. His pack prevented injury but, after lighting one of several candles he had, he found himself at the bottom of a pit about ten feet in diameter, with overhung walls, with a stream of water swirling along the floor. It came from a passage which he explored for 200 feet without finding an exit. Moreover, there was no air movement so he returned to the pit. After eating (his stove was smashed so food was eaten without cooking) he got out a 30 foot rope he had brought and realized a rock tied to one end might catch in the boulders outside if thrown up through the hole. For the next three days he threw his makeshift grapple to no avail. The first two nights he slept standing up, feet in the water. The third night he hung in a loop of the rope, suspended from a tree root. On Tuesday evening Ritchie's absence was reported to the Hood River Sheriff's Office. On Wednesday searchers on snowmobiles traced his hike plan but new snow had covered his tracks and fate. Helicopters were ineffective due to fog and bad weather. Ritchie was on his own. By Thursday he had consumed all of his food and was beginning to slip into hypothermia, with slurred speech and an unsteadiness to his limbs. But that day he got lucky. The rock at the end of the rope snagged the limb of a dead tree, and he hauled himself free. It was raining but he dared not stop. He slogged ten miles to Highway 35, caught a ride and finally was safe.
Certainly this points up the importance of being prepared for emergencies, especially when engaged in a solo activity. Some, like Ritchie, survive ordeals like this; others, in the same circumstances, would not. Attitude is very important.
Larry Ritchey fell into an unnamed pit while hiking alone and survived three days at the bottom before self-rescuing.