In 1986, in Portland, Oregon, the city was enveloped in a frigid night, with frost and icy winds prevailing. It was the 11th of May, 1986, Mother's Day, just an hour before midnight. A group of 15 students from the Oregon Episcopal School, a prestigious private academy located in southwest Portland, had gathered on campus to prepare for an outdoor expedition. Their ultimate goal was to reach the highest point of Mount Hood by noon the following day. They had no idea of the disaster that was to befall them.