PORTLAND, Ore. — The body of an experienced Mount St. Helens climber has been recovered from the crater of the volcano.
The Skamania County Sheriff's Office said Monday that the body of 42-year-old Roscoe "Rocky" Shorey from Washougal was found around 7 a.m. on Saturday after a climbing group reached the summit of Mount St. Helens near the Monitor Ridge Climbing Route.
After reaching the summit, the group located some of Shorey's belongings, including a backpack and digital recording devices, near the rim of the crater. The group then reported observing a motionless person within the crater of the volcano approximately 1,200 feet below the summit.
The sheriff's office launched a search and rescue mission, alongside members of Volcano Rescue Team based out of Yacolt, and the assistance of J&L Aviation Helicopters. Members of the rescue team were airlifted to the crater of the volcano where they ascended on foot to recover the body, which was then flown down to the incident command base set up at Marble Mountain Sno-Park.
Shorey was an experienced mountain climber and had successfully summitted Mount St. Helens 28 times prior to this accident, the sheriff's office said. It's suspected that Shorey fell into the volcano after a snow cornice, an overhanging edge of snow, fractured near the rim and fell into the crater of the mountain.
On Monday, KGW spoke with Shorey's friend of two decades, Bret Barnum.
"It's an extremely difficult time. Rocky was more my little brother than my friend," he said, "In 42 years, that guy lived a hundred years of life easily...I was fortunate enough to be able to hop in the car and take a ride with him. Every time we could go out, it was an adventure."
Barnum said Shorey was not only a mountaineer, but a sky-diving instructor as well. He also volunteered with Urban Nature Partners PDX, and was a brand ambassador for Oregon-based Mountain House, who provided this statement:
Rocky was an expert mountaineer and a fearless adventurer with an appetite for the outdoors almost as big as his joyful heart. The Mountain House community is devastated by his loss. We will remember him for his boundless energy, optimistic attitude, and genuine Aloha spirit. He loved bagging new peaks, swimming in alpine lakes, making new friends and encouraging youth to get outside. We know everyone who knew him will honor his memory by exploring and welcoming others into the outdoor community. He was a true friend and will be missed by all.
"The testament to his life is that he just lived it. He lived in his way. He did not live a dangerously. He lived it with prediction, with passion, with intention," Barnum said, "The community as a whole, the metro area has lost a very, very caring individual who was not reckless, nor careless, and happened to fall upon some very bad luck that day."
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