PORTLAND, Ore. -- View Luke Gullberg's MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/climb4life and one knows his idea of heaven. He recorded it on a Mount Rainier climbing trip in 2007.
Listen to his narration and it becomes clear how much he loved climbing. In fact, he describes himself with three words in his "About Me" section: "God, then climbing."
"This is our view from the doorway," Gullberg says as he looks out at the beautiful scenery on Mt. Rainier. MORE:Watch Luke Gullberg's video
The Mt. Rainier climbing video was produced very well. But it was hard to watch on Monday, two days after his untimely death from hypothermia in a Mt. Hood climbing accident.
FULL COVERAGE: Longview climber dead, friends missing
Despite that, Gullberg's friends and family acknowledge he felt most at home on a mountain - and he loved to show off nature.
In another video he points out landmarks on Mt. Adams in southcentral Washington.
"This is Goat Rocks," he narrates, then panning to a friend and joking, "and this is Brad."
Watching how Luke teases Brad and others, it's clear his climbing mates were special to him. Luke records another friend, who stands frozen before the lens - only to have Luke tease that he's recording with a motion picture video camera.
Luke's family mourned Monday. But Katie Nolan and Anthony Vietti, both still missing nearly four days after the three set out on Mt. Hood, had family waiting and hoping for the best at Government Camp.
The 29-year-old Nolan lived in Portland but grew up in Walla Walla, Wash. Vietti, 24, was from Longview, Wash. The three met during church activities, according to their families.
Nolan's coworkers held a prayer vigil for her on Monday as searchers continued to comb the upper flanks of Mt. Hood.
"We are worried, " said Dennis Keenan, Katie's boss. "As time goes by, our hope is diminishing."
Friends called Nolan an inspiration.
Nolan's job was to help homeless women clean up and find work. She would even walk underneath bridges to help those in need - and her successes were scattered around Portland.
"(Katie) got me a place to stay, she got me a job. Katie is my angel," a woman who'd been helped by Nolan told her boss.
Vietti also was committed to climbing and faith, a youth pastor who would sweep floors after service was over, his friends said.
These three didn't pick the easy life. Judging from Gullberg's video on Mt. Rainer, their sport was, at times, grueling.
"We had a painful night of sleep," said Gullberg after a long night of sleep and freezing temperatures.
But friends on his Facebook page left messages affirming that what Luke Gullberg loved, above everything but God, was to climb.
On Monday, Teri Preiss, Anthony Vietti's aunt, remembered Luke through her nephew's recollections as "one of the strongest individuals I've ever met."
"Luke died as he lived - passionately giving his all," she said.
