A Sechelt mother is hoping for the best as she makes her way to California where her son is trapped by a violent storm near the summit of Mount Shasta.
Mary Kenny says her son, 26-year-old Thomas Bennett, who graduated from Chatelech Secondary School in Sechelt, later attending the University of British Columbia, was injured last weekend while climbing with his friend, Mark Thomas, 26, of Berkeley, Calif.
Kenny told the Canadian Press that Thomas was forced to leave Bennett when he was injured and unresponsive in a snow cave just metres below the 4,322 metre summit. Kenny said Thomas called for help after a snow storm moved in quickly and he saw Bennett's condition rapidly deteriorating.
The pair of climbers spent two nights trapped on the summit before Thomas was able to descend the mountain by himself. U.S. Forest Service rangers found Thomas on Tuesday, where he relayed more information to rescuers about Bennett's condition and his whereabouts.
According to the Associated Press, rescue teams have been hampered by heavy snow and 112-kilometre-an hour winds as they were trying to reach Bennett.
Bennett, who was living in Vancouver, recently moved to Oakland where he works as a chemical engineer. Both Bennett and Thomas were said to be experienced climbers and had made many altitude climbs in the past.
Kenny said she is hoping for a miracle and that the weather will break so rescue teams can find Bennett so she can take him home.
