Charleston man rescued after fall

Erik Scott Heerlein of Charleston was rescued on Oregon's Mount Hood on Sunday after he fell 100 feet, broke his leg and sustained head injuries.

Although the tumble was rough, the mountain rescue could not have been smoother, authorities said.

A doctor and a paramedic were part of the six-member climbing team and monitored Heerlein's care until rescuers arrived, according to Detective Jim Strovink, public information officer for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

Heerlein was airlifted to Oregon Health & Science University. His condition was listed as fair Monday.

"They had good cell phone communications, and their GPS coordinates were precise," Strovink said. The sheriff's office is responsible for mobilizing search and rescue missions on the 11,237-foot-tall mountain.

A team from American Medical Response Reach and Treat climbed 9,000 feet of the snow-covered mountain, then climbed another hour before reaching the injured climber, Strovink said.

Oregon's 1042nd Medical Evacuation Company, a National Guard unit, airlifted the patient with a Black Hawk helicopter at 3:30 p.m., five hours after he was injured, Strovink said. Mountain Wave Emergency Communications also assisted, he said.

Mount Hood is considered to be the second most-climbed mountain next to Mount Fuji in Japan, according to Steve Rollins, rescue leader with Portland Mountain Rescue.

The route taken by the climbers was a standard one, Rollins said. The rescue group responds to between two and five missions per year on Mount Hood.

"Mistakes on the mountain tend to have large consequences," Rollins said.

Reach Jill Coley at 937-5719 or jcoley@postandcourier.com.