Van Tilburg releases ‘Crisis on Mount Hood’

“Van Tilburg looks at the history of America’s oldest all-volunteer mountain rescue team, the Hood River Crag Rats, and his own three-decade commitment to search and rescue,” said a press release. “Centered on Oregon’s iconic 11,249-foot-high Mount Hood, considered by many to be the world’s most-climbed glaciated peak, this dramatic narrative leads readers through a century of life-and-death challenges.

“Covering the past, present, and future of Mount Hood, Van Tilburg highlights the titans of mountain rescue, the ways that outdoor recreation has changed over time, the challenging effects of climate change, and, most of all, the unwavering passion of search and rescue volunteers.”

Van Tilburg first climbed Mount Hood in 1994 and has volunteered with the Crag Rats mountain rescue team for more than 25 years. He practices emergency, wilderness, occupational and travel medicine, and is a medical doctor for four regional search and rescue teams. Additionally, he’s a past chair of Mountain Rescue Association’s Medical Committee, and an American delegate to the International Commission for Alpine Rescue. He serves as public health officer for both Hood River County and North Central Public Health District.