By JESSE BURKHARDT
and SAM LOWRY
The Enterprise
A White Salmon resident and a Goldendale resident perished in a fall while climbing on Mt. Washington in central Oregon last week.
Searchers found Gary L. Gentz, 50, of White Salmon, and Thomas A. Seifert, 46, of Goldendale, on Saturday.
Both men were regarded as experienced climbers, although this was their first attempt to climb Mt. Washington.
According to Linn County Sheriff Dave Burright, the two planned a one-day climb of the 7,794-foot peak on Thursday. Relatives contacted deputies late on Friday when they did not return as scheduled. Searchers were alerted at about 6:30 p.m. Friday, and began looking for Seifert's pickup truck at a mountain trailhead.
At approximately 11 a.m. on Saturday, deputies found the two, still roped together, on the steep southwest side of the mountain. The men were found at the 7,190-foot level. They had apparently fallen several hundred feet.
Local climbing friends said they were certain that Seifert and Gentz intended to attempt the north ridge route, considered Mt. Washington's easiest. Apparently, they changed their plans, as Seifert's truck was not at the trailhead of the planned route.
Searchers later found Seifert's truck at the Big Lake trailhead, on the mountain's south side.
Goldendale resident and fellow-climber Gary Erickson said the route where the two were found was considered "highly technical."
Erickson, who was friends with Seifert and Gentz, said he believed the climbers would have been anchored to the rock.
"Tom was so methodical," he explained. "But your anchor's only as good as the rock."
Mark Foster, who led the search party that found the two, said he believed one climber fell and pulled the other off. According to Foster, one or the other may have been braced to the rock, but probably not anchored with hardware.
Both men worked as operators at the Calpine generating plant in Goldendale.
Seifert and his wife, Judy, have two daughters, ages 20 and 17. Gentz and his wife, Sandy, have a son and a daughter in their early 20s.
Gary's wife, Sandy Gentz, said her husband was adventurous by nature.
"Gary has been adventurous from practically the day he was born," she said. "He loved being active. He really loved nature, especially lately. He had a very open mind. Life was an adventure for him."
She added that Gary was a strong family man.
"He worked hard at home," Sandy Gentz said. "He was a good father. He coached the kids' teams growing up, and supported them through their high school years. Gary was a wonderful, wonderful husband, father, and friend. He was a very positive person, and always looked for the good in people."
The deaths shocked and saddened friends of the climbers.
Dana Peck, director of the Klickitat County Economic Development Department, worked with Seifert from the time he first went to work for Klickitat County in May 1998. Seifert served as the county's Community Development Director.
"There is a big hole right in the middle of my chest," Peck said on Monday. "He was an incredible guy, and he did more for this county than most people even begin to realize. He was a great positive influence on everything he touched."
Steve Royall, manager of the Calpine plant, said the loss of Gentz and Seifert would hurt the plant on an operational level, but most of all on a personal level.
"Both guys were highly respected and loved by staff. We lost the best part of us," Royall said.
Royall added that the two employees were drawn together by their love of the outdoors and their love for climbing.
"They were the best of friends," Royall said.
Peck said Seifert was a serious climber.
"He climbed multiple mountains a year," Peck explained. "Ever since I knew him, he was gone at least every couple of months, sometimes more than that."
Peck added that Seifert's passion for mountain climbing never got in the way of his responsibilities with the county.
"One day he was up at the crack of dawn to climb Mt. Adams," Peck recalled. "Then he came back for an EDA [Economic Development Authority] meeting later that day. He literally climbed a mountain and was back here for a meeting."
Seifert left his job with the county to go to work for Calpine in February.
Deputies from three central Oregon counties -- Linn, Deschutes, and Jefferson -- were among those participating in the search.
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