Remembering the Climb
Mount Hood Climb Observance Committee
The Mount Hood Climb Observance Committee was established in 2007 to help guide the school’s ongoing efforts to remember the events of May 1986 with care, consistency, and respect.
The committee includes school leadership, trustees, faculty, and alumni representatives. This structure ensures that many perspectives come together to determine how the school approaches remembrance, and that those closest to the event continue to have a voice in how it is observed.
The committee’s work centers on preserving institutional memory and supporting thoughtful, coordinated practices of remembrance. This includes reviewing plans for the annual Mount Hood Climb Observance Day, guiding communications, caring for memorial spaces, and helping to ensure that the history of the climb is shared with sensitivity across the school community.
Mount Hood Climb Observance Day
Each year, on the second Wednesday in May, the Oregon Episcopal School community—students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and friends—gathers around the Belltower for Mount Hood Climb Observance Day. This tradition began in remembrance of the 1986 tragedy that claimed the lives of seven students, a teacher, and a dean. The impact of that day extended far beyond the school and continues to shape the community today.
In 1986, while waiting for news of the climbers, the OES community was sustained by an outpouring of support and prayers from across Oregon, the mountaineering community, and beyond. That response revealed the strength of community in the face of profound loss. Mount Hood Climb Observance Day began as a day of remembrance and has continued as a time to reflect and to serve others.
At this annual gathering, the attendees pause as each of the people lost on the mountain are named and remembered. In their honor, the observance day launches a season of service to reflect back the community care shown to the school in 1986. In alignment with the school’s Episcopal identity, the day also offers a moment to reflect on how we live alongside one another and respond to the needs of the surrounding world.
Mount Hood Climb Memorial Garden
In the years following the tragedy, family members, friends, and members of the OES community came together to create a space on campus for remembrance. Trees and flowers were planted in honor of those who were lost, transforming the landscape into a living memorial. The Classes of 1986 and 1988 dedicated plaques to their classmates, adding a lasting and personal tribute to the space. Jesuit High School donated nine fir trees in memory of the nine who lost their lives. These continue to stand tall over the Memorial Garden today.
Over time, the Memorial Garden has become a place for students, families, alumni, and visitors to sit in quiet reflection. It stands as a tribute to those who lost their lives, as well as a reminder of the enduring bonds within the OES community.
In recent years, the garden has been thoughtfully renewed to ensure it continues to serve that purpose. Updated plantings and signage help preserve its history while making it more accessible and meaningful for those who visit today. As the space continues to evolve, it remains a place of reflection, connection, and remembrance for generations to come.
Dedicated Memorial on Mount Hood
A small, private gathering was held on Mount Hood in September 2025 to dedicate a permanent bronze-engraved memorial and create a place where people can gather to remember and honor the lives lost in the 1986 tragedy.
The inscription on the memorial reads as follows:
In Memory of Our Friends
On May 12, 1986, this group of students, faculty, and staff from Oregon Episcopal School passed by this spot intending to summit the mountain, ultimately losing their lives in a snow storm. United in friendship and determination, they embraced life with intelligence, passion, curiosity, and grace. We will always miss them.
Tasha Amy Fr. Thomas Goman Richard Haeder, Jr.
Marion Horwell Alison Litzenberger Susan McClave
Patrick McGinness Erin O’Leary Erik Sandvik
To visit the site, it's just a short walk from Timberline Lodge at Government Camp. Follow these coordinates to locate the Mount Hood dedication: 45°19'58.4"N 121°42'34.0"W
Organizations in Support
The Mount Hood climb tragedy prompted one of the largest mountain rescue searches in Pacific Northwest history. Numerous mountain rescue organizations worked alongside the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and Hood River County Sheriff’s Office in a coordinated response under extremely challenging conditions. Medical personnel also played a critical role, as climbers, once located, were transported by helicopter from the mountain to five Portland-area hospitals.
The following organizations and institutions provided critical support during the tragedy.
304th Rescue Squadron
Alpine Ambulance
Alpinees
American Red Cross
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office
Columbus Search Dogs
Corvallis Mountain Rescue
German Shepherd Search Dogs
Hillsboro Helicopters, Inc.
Hood River County Sheriff’s Office
Hood River Crag Rats
Hoodland Fire District No. 74
Legacy Emanuel Medical Center
Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center
Life Flight
Mazamas
Mt. Hood Meadows
Mt. Hood Nordic Ski Patrol
Mt. Hood Ski Patrol
Mount Hood Snowmobile Club
OHSU Hospital
Pacific Crest Outward Bound
Portland Mountain Rescue
Providence Portland Medical Center
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center
Seattle Mountain Rescue
Timberline Lodge