Introduction
Oregon is famous for many of its different outdoor attractions. From the Columbia River Gorge to Multnomah Falls to Crater Lake, Oregon has attracted tourists and residents alike to soak in a little sun (or snow) and play in a few small pieces of our great big world. Another attraction known to Oregon is Mount Hood. Located in northern Oregon, Mount Hood takes claim to being the highest in the state and about 10,000 people attempt to summit it each year making it the second most climbed in the world (Dalton, 2015). The people attracted to this beautiful mountain not only include experts and professional climbers, but amateurs and students as well. In 1896 a group of relatively inexperienced students from Oregon Episcopal School …show more content…
The details of the students’ climb can help us see the difference between what they were expecting to face versus the reality of what they actually did face. It provides much room for discussion on leadership, decision making, group functioning, and skill, and can be used to highlight why each of these is important in staying safe while mountaineering. From here we can analyze what heuristic traps they fell into as well as how these affected the group, also giving us a clearer understanding of how so many people died. There are many sides to the climb each of which can be taken with multiple perspectives. From those who survived to tell the story, the families of those who didn’t, those specialized in wilderness training, and even the publics’ opinion when learning of the disaster, each group has a differing view on what happened and how it could have been prevented. And finally, the ways in which this disaster could have been prevented will help us ensure not to make the same mistakes again. This climb has many components that make it an interesting study with abundant information available. The separation of facts and inferences will also be used to gain a better knowledge of what went wrong on May, 12 …show more content…
Oregon Episcopal School is a college prep school located in the suburbs of Portland Oregon (Speik, 1986). Included within their regular classes was their Basecamp Wilderness Education Program, designed, among other things, to give sophomores a chance to summit Mount Hood. The 1986 trip and attempt of summiting was scheduled for May 12th. According to Plummer in his article describing how the climb turned into a disaster, early that morning around 3:00 a.m. the group consisting of fifteen students, one parent, two teachers, and a climbing expert set out from Timberline Ridge on the north side of the mountain (1986). The plan was to start out early and reach the summit with time left to make it back down the mountain before 6:00 p.m. Accomplished by many groups of students before them, thirty-six to be exact, the 1986 students started their day with an air of confidence and excitement and the expectation that their climb would be successful as well (Speik,
Oregon is famous for many of its different outdoor attractions. From the Columbia River Gorge to Multnomah Falls to Crater Lake, Oregon has attracted tourists and residents alike to soak in a little sun (or snow) and play in a few small pieces of our great big world. Another attraction known to Oregon is Mount Hood. Located in northern Oregon, Mount Hood takes claim to being the highest in the state and about 10,000 people attempt to summit it each year making it the second most climbed in the world (Dalton, 2015). The people attracted to this beautiful mountain not only include experts and professional climbers, but amateurs and students as well. In 1896 a group of relatively inexperienced students from Oregon Episcopal School …show more content…
The details of the students’ climb can help us see the difference between what they were expecting to face versus the reality of what they actually did face. It provides much room for discussion on leadership, decision making, group functioning, and skill, and can be used to highlight why each of these is important in staying safe while mountaineering. From here we can analyze what heuristic traps they fell into as well as how these affected the group, also giving us a clearer understanding of how so many people died. There are many sides to the climb each of which can be taken with multiple perspectives. From those who survived to tell the story, the families of those who didn’t, those specialized in wilderness training, and even the publics’ opinion when learning of the disaster, each group has a differing view on what happened and how it could have been prevented. And finally, the ways in which this disaster could have been prevented will help us ensure not to make the same mistakes again. This climb has many components that make it an interesting study with abundant information available. The separation of facts and inferences will also be used to gain a better knowledge of what went wrong on May, 12 …show more content…
Oregon Episcopal School is a college prep school located in the suburbs of Portland Oregon (Speik, 1986). Included within their regular classes was their Basecamp Wilderness Education Program, designed, among other things, to give sophomores a chance to summit Mount Hood. The 1986 trip and attempt of summiting was scheduled for May 12th. According to Plummer in his article describing how the climb turned into a disaster, early that morning around 3:00 a.m. the group consisting of fifteen students, one parent, two teachers, and a climbing expert set out from Timberline Ridge on the north side of the mountain (1986). The plan was to start out early and reach the summit with time left to make it back down the mountain before 6:00 p.m. Accomplished by many groups of students before them, thirty-six to be exact, the 1986 students started their day with an air of confidence and excitement and the expectation that their climb would be successful as well (Speik,