Mt. Hood Tragedy in Longview: Local Climber, Also a Great Influence in the Community

By Sergio Vasquez

         Living in the Northwest, there’s no doubt that one can be easily drawn to the peaks of the great mountains, whether you live farther north where Mt. Baker lies, east near Mt. Spokane or near Oregon’s own Mt. Hood. These geographical features of beauty are one of a kind; still, they can take away those who were also one of a kind.

On Friday, December 11, three climbers set off on a climbing expedition on Mt. Hood. Katie Nolan, Luke Gulberg and local Anthony Vietti, though experienced climbers,  were assumed missing. Days later after weather conditions were too severe for search crews to continue, the chances of survival dwindled to one percent.

  Anthony Vietti was a local youth pastor at Bridge where he influenced a great many of people. There are students from RAL and other schools locally who would say it was a blessing to know him. Angel Dixon 10 from Kelso High was close to Vietti.

  “He was extremely random and always made you laugh yet was patient with everyone,”  Dixon described.

Jordy Mertz 10 of RAL, who also attended the same church as Vietti, would agree with Dixon word for word.

“From what I knew of him, he loved climbing and hiking, and would volunteer his time in a search and rescue team,” Mertz said.

Following the search, the mission shortly became a recovery one, and to all who knew Vietti, the success of the recovery mission will be a rejoice to them. Along with Vietti, there is still his friend Katie Nolan to be found.

“He (Vietti) loved God with everything in him,”  Dixon said “He gave God the first of his best and not the leftovers.”

Vietti had previously climbed Mt. Hood before about five or six times, and this time around it seems he had another plan for him.

It seems Dixon was one who was greatly influenced and looked up to Vietti; she had a final powerful statement to be made.

“He always said, “when I die I wanna die on a mountain” An emotional statement, but to someone who knew Vietti they would understand what that meant to him.