GOVERNMENT CAMP -- Rescuers used their own body heat to stabilize an injured climber for six hours before she could be safely airlifted off Mt. Hood Sunday.
Megan Coker, 35, of Portland, had fallen about 300 feet, seriously injuring her ribs and a leg.
Coker released a statement from her hospital bed on Monday, thanking rescuers for their valiant efforts; in particular, Candi Cook and Darrell Weston.
"I was very lucky to have the teams nearby when I fell," she said. "Candi and Darrell laid down on the icy slope to share their body heat for almost six hours. While their climbing teams boiled water on their camp stove to make warm packs that were placed all around me, they also packed the three of us with sleeping bags and jackets to keep our bodies off the icy terrain while we waited for rescue crews."
Coker was listed in fair condition Legacy Emanuel Medical Center on Monday.
After reaching the summit, Coker fell late Sunday morning near Crater Rock at the 9,500-level, according to Sgt. James Rhodes.
The Mount Hood Ski Patrol first reached her location. She was treated by AMR Reach and Treat crews, then taken off the mountain by Portland Mountain Rescue and Mountain Wave Search and Rescue, with coordination from Clackamas County Search and Rescue, he said.
Coker was alert and responsive throughout the rescue, Rhodes said.
From her hospital bed on Monday, she mentioned that she was already looking forward to the next time she will be able to go climbing.
