FAN FAVORITE: Trapped on Mt. Hood | Whiteout | 1
Against The Odds
Wondery
4.7 • 7.2K Ratings
🗓️ 19 August 2025
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In May 1986, a group of high school students and faculty embarked on a journey to the top of Mount Hood, Oregon's tallest mountain. The climb was part of an annual wilderness program, and was usually uneventful. But during this climb, a brutal and massive storm engulfed the mountain, stranding the climbers near the summit, and forcing them into a harrowing battle for survival.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Against the Odds early and ad-free right now. |
| 0:05.6 | Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. |
| 0:09.7 | Hey Against the Odds fans. |
| 0:11.2 | As summer draws to a close, we're hard at work on new episodes. |
| 0:14.8 | But in the meantime, we're revisiting a fan favorite. |
| 0:17.8 | Our series on a tragic 1986 disaster on Mount Hood. While today's mountaineers |
| 0:23.1 | enjoy advanced weather forecasting and satellite communications, this story reminds us of a time |
| 0:29.1 | when a sudden storm could transform a school climbing trip into a desperate fight for survival |
| 0:34.3 | that would forever change how we approach mountain safety. |
| 0:45.1 | Join Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app to listen to Against the Odds early and ad-free. Patrick McGinnis grimaces in pain as he steps forward and his leg sinks into knee-deep snow. |
| 1:05.0 | It hurts just to walk. |
| 1:07.5 | He's so cold that it's difficult for him to speak or even think. |
| 1:12.9 | But he knows he has to keep going. |
| 1:16.6 | It's late afternoon on May 12, 1986. |
| 1:21.2 | Pat is near the summit of Mount Hood in Oregon with a climbing group from his high school. |
| 1:26.8 | They've been caught in a sudden blizzard |
| 1:28.3 | that shows no signs of letting up. |
| 1:31.3 | Now, they're racing to get down from the mountain before nightfall. |
| 1:36.3 | If they don't make it, they'll be trapped up here, |
| 1:40.3 | and they might freeze to death. |
| 1:43.3 | Pat takes another step forward and stumbles. |
| 1:48.3 | He's 15 years old, lean and athletic. |
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