Christopher Van Tilburg

When our mountain rescue text come in, the call may take us racing up a mountain peak to rescue an injured hiker, scaling a rocky ledge for a hiker who has fallen over a cliff, into a blizzard to search for missing skiers, or to a mountain airplane crash. Our team, Hood River Crag Rats, is oldest mountain rescue group in the nation. This is celebrated in my new book, Crisis on Mount Hood: Stories from 100 Years of Mountain Rescue, by the Mountaineers Books.

I also have a day job: I work as a author, consultant and physician in wilderness and travel medicine. In addition to clinic work, I've written for National Geographic Adventure, Outside, and other publications.