Late Monday afternoon, searchers were finally able to recover the body of a climber who died Sunday on Mt. Hood.

Gary Lee, 55, died on Mt. Hood Sunday after being struck by a rock while descending from the summit with his son.

Relatives told KGW that Lee, a Eugene oncologist, was an experienced mountaineer.

More on Lee: Admired doctor, avid climber

Lee climbed the Cooper Spur route on Mt. Hood Sunday with his son Devon and reached the summit. On the descent, Lee was struck by falling rock and was unable to self-arrest, sliding about 1,000 feet before coming to rest in an area of rock and ice above the Elliott Glacier.

Slideshow: Area where climber died

Map: Cooper Spur climbing route

At 2:00 a.m. Monday, recovery crews began efforts to reach Lee's body but dangerous conditions made the recovery effort difficult. Lee's body was in an area of vertical snow, ice and rock at about 9,000 feet elevation.

Loose rock and soft snow are common during Mt. Hood's summer climbing season. Rollins said recovery crews were at risk from rockfall from the volcanic peak.

"In many cases the rock is glued together with ash the consistency of toothpaste," he said.

Hood River County 911 Center received a report of an injured climber on Mt. Hood at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday.

Hood River County Sheriff Joe Wampler and Crag Rat Rick Ragan flew over the area and saw what they believed was the injured climber at approximately the 9,000 foot level.

The 641st Army National Guard Medivac helicopter flew over the area, and was able to confirm visually and by thermal technology that the climber was dead.

The Cooper Spur route is one of the more hazardous routes on Mt. Hood, and has claimed dozens of lives.

More: Previous Fatalities on Mt. Hood

In December 2006, climber Kelly James of Texas died of hypothermia in the same area of the mountain. His body was found in a snow cave, but the bodies of the two other men in his climbing party, Brian Hall of Texas and Jerry Cooke of New York, were never found.

Background: Search abandoned for missing Mt. Hood climbers

(The Associated Press also contributed to this article.)