Oregon, Saddle Mountain. On 2 August Dennis Bean, John Neuschwan- ger, and Bob Kennedy started a climb of Saddle Mountain, a rock-buttress in Oregon’s Coast Range (elev. 3282'). They chose to climb the series of cliffs to the left, or west of the State Park area at the south base of the peak. After an approach up brushy and talus slopes, a narrow ledge was followed out onto the rock face to the right for several hundred feet, then a direct ascent up a shoulder of the rock. Bean, with basic

climbing school experience, took the lead. The others were inexperienced except for a single climb on Broken Top by Neuschwanger. They roped up, Kennedy coming second, and belayed each other along this ledge, and up the shoulder. On a very steep, exposed pitch, Bean decided the climb shouldn’t continue because of their lack of experience in this type of climbing. He descended on the rope to the others, and attempted to pull the rope down. It stuck, and Kennedy volunteered to go up after it. Kennedy reached the top of the rope, loosened it, and after surveying the rock above him, was suddenly overcome by a strong impulse to continue climbing as far as he could, the summit if possible. He called back to the others that he was going on alone. The other two tried to discourage him, but apparently he could not hear them in the strong wind that was blowing. In fact, he thought he heard them say OK. After waiting some time for Kennedy to come down, and realizing his complete lack of experience, Bean and Neuschwanger decided to follow him should he have trouble. They climbed again to the top of the rope which had again become stuck, and carried it on up the steep, rotten rock slope above them. The slope gradually levelled out into a broad, grassy ledge crossed with game trails.

Kennedy’s tracks led to the left and up, but he was far beyond calling distance and not in view from their position. Here, as it had started raining, they felt it best to get themselves off the mountain and search for Kennedy by way of the summit trail to the east of them. From their position they could not see a route of descent which did exist to the right, a continuation of the game trail around a comer that appeared to be an abrupt drop-off. They felt unsafe to descend their climbing route as it was steep and the rocks were now wet. They carried no pitons or bolts. Their only course, it was decided, was to continue climbing to the summit estimated to be about 500 feet above. Bean traversed a few yards to the left and ascended (unroped) a gully system with "lots of holds,” out of view of Neuschwanger. Bean called back to Neuschwanger, “there is a ledge a few feet above me from which I will belay you.” About one minute later Neuschwanger heard a rumble to the left and looked quickly to see Bean falling and tumbling limp (apparently unconscious) amid a shower of rock. He rolled over an embankment and plunged down another cliff. Later his body was found at the base of the cliffs about 600 feet below.

Neuschwanger felt he was trapped and called for help from below. Floyd Smith, picnicking in the State Park heard him and climbed to within easy shouting distance and directed him to the route of escape from his ledge which Smith could see, but Bean and Neuschwanger had missed earlier. Smith and Neuschwanger descended to search for the body. Meanwhile Kennedy had successfully reached the summit and met three other climbers there. In his concern for the others he and the three climbers hurried down the trail to the parking lot and started up toward where the climb had begun earlier. They met Smith and Neuschwanger coming down and joined them in the search. The six of them by using rope and a pole managed to lower Bean’s body down the steep, heavily brushed terrain. With Walkie-talkies they maintained contact with people below. State Police and the Sheriff’s office were contacted and they took

over when the body was within 100 yards of the parking area. It had taken over three hours to bring the body down. A helicopter had been summoned but could not get in through the fog. The body was taken to Seaside by ambulance.

Source: Don Eastman.