An online fundraiser is seeking donations to cover the costs to recover the body of a climber at Mount Jefferson.
The Linn County Sheriff's Office reports that Jeffrey Dale, 29, of Texas was climbing with a group last Thursday when the weather turned bad. The group decided to turn back but Dale pressed on. The sheriff's office described him as an experienced climber with a history of completing difficult climbs in the past.
He was last seen at the 10,200-foot level of the mountain. The summit is 10,502 feet.
According to a GoFundMe fundraiser, aerial photography suggests that Dale was either caught in or triggered an avalanche somewhere near the summit and fell some 1,500 feet. The GoFundMe described the fall as fatal.
"Unfortunately, the terrain is so rugged that search and rescue personnel cannot recover him without the use of a helicopter," the fundraiser states. "No search and rescue or government helicopter has been available for Jeffrey's extrication, leading a group of friends of the Dale family to seek out a helicopter to hire privately."
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The earliest an operation can occur is Thursday or Friday, the GoFundMe states.
"As you might assume, hiring a specialized helicopter with its team is very expensive. We want to defray the cost of this recovery mission without placing any additional stress on the Dale family," the page states.
Any excess funds will go to help cover Dale's funeral.