GOVERNMENT CAMP -- Searchers found the body Saturday of a missing 26-year-old climber in a treacherous area near the 9,000-foot level of Mount Hood, and two others remain missing after failing to return from a climb Friday.

The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said Saturday night that Luke T. Gullberg of Des Moines, Wash., was found dead about 10 a.m. on Reid Glacier.

Gullberg's body was taken off the mountain, said Jim Strovink, spokesman for the sheriff's office. The Clackamas County deputy medical examiner is expected to conduct a forensic examination soon.

The other missing climbers were identified as Kattie Nolan, 29, of Southeast Portland and Anthony Vietti, 24, of Longview, Wash.

The search for them was to resume Sunday morning.

Rocky Henderson, a veteran climber and Portland Mountain Rescue volunteer, said the search could drag on for days because of horrendous weather, avalanche danger and the steepness of the terrain.

"This is a sad one," he said.

Rescuers recovered a camera "that had pictures in it that appeared to have been taken shortly before something bad happened," Henderson said. "We have a good idea where they may be, but getting there is not going to be easy."

The three climbers were expected back at 2 p.m. Friday but hadn't reported in.

Saturday's search concentrated on Reid Glacier. It ranges in elevation from about 6,000 feet to 9,800 feet, and the upper region is known for crevasses.

Searchers returned to Timberline's Wy'east Day Lodge about 4:30 p.m. as dusk fell. Conditions Saturday for the 30 searchers, mostly with Portland Mountain Rescue, were "icy and treacherous," Strovink said.

A Portland Mountain Rescue team found several pieces of climbing gear at about the 9,000-foot level of Reid Glacier in the morning, said Marty Johnson, rescue leader for the team that made the discovery. Gullberg's body was found shortly after.

The climb ranges in steepness from 55 to 60 degrees, Johnson said.

Among the items found was a climbing harness, a piece of equipment that has several redundant safety features to prevent removal. Nevertheless, it's possible the harness could have come off in a fall, Johnson said.

A climbing helmet and water bottle also were among the items discovered in two separate, distinct areas, Johnson said.

"There is not a straight fall line," he said.

Rescuers don't think the climbers were carrying a climbing shovel, said Erik Broms, also a rescue leader. A shovel would be a valuable piece of equipment to dig an emergency snow cave.

Johnson said the Reid Glacier area is treacherous for rescuers, with several gullies, rock buttresses and arêtes.

Rescuers were expected to assess conditions early this morning for a continued search. Avalanche was a growing danger with snow accumulating quickly at higher elevations, Johnson said.

Gullberg is thought to have been the most experienced of the three climbers, Broms said. A relative told rescuers that Gullberg has summited Mount Hood six times before.

Henderson said Gullberg survived the initial fall, as shown by tracks where he either walked or crawled several hundred yards.

Avalanche danger remains high, Henderson said, because of wind-loaded cornices. At least one rescue team had to turn back because of unsafe conditions.

Although temperatures were fairly moderate as the mountain goes, they were expected to drop into the teens overnight and continue dropping today. Winds are expected to gust to 35 mph, with limited visibility and wind chills well below zero.

Fellow mountaineer and longtime Portland Mountain Rescue veteran Steve Rollins said searchers were frustrated by the incompleteness of the information provided by the three climbers on the climbing register. A prominent feature on the mountain known as the "Hogsback" was identified by the climbers as the "Dogsback." Some of the other information was scribbled in apparent haste, he said.

Friends of the climbers gave Rollins conflicting information on what route the three intended to take.

"It's frustrating because instead of having one place to look, we have many places," Rollins said.

Henderson said the trio wound up taking the more difficult of two routes. The climbers' registration form left in an outer room of the Wy'east Day Lodge, the building adjacent to Timberline Lodge, indicated the group planned to ascend a route up Reid Glacier.

Climbers are required to fill out the two-sided registration form as well as a wilderness permit. In addition to climbers' names and other identifying information, the registration form asks for information about time of registration, planned return date and time, and a date and time for a section titled "Equipped to stay out until."

Asked whether the climbers had emergency shelters called bivy sacks, snow shovels and other emergency climbing gear, as well as the skill to dig a snow cave, Strovink said, "they're experienced." He said he based that assessment on information gathered from friends and family.

Strovink said an earlier report that the climbers sent a text message probably was erroneous. Instead, a "ping" from one of the climbers' cell phones was detected as having been made about 1:30 a.m. Friday.

A family friend reported the climbers missing to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office about 2 p.m. Search and rescue operations started about 8 or 9 p.m. Friday, Strovink said.

A car driven by at least one of the climbers was in the parking lot. It has Washington license plates. On the dashboard is a book, "Selected Climbs of the Cascades, Volume 1."

Strovink also said the climbers had not rented an emergency locator beacon that would indicate their location for searchers. He said the rental costs $5.

Including Gullberg, at least 18 people have died on the mountain in the past decade.

Three experienced climbers died on a December hiking trip in 2006 after ascending the mountain's north face near Cooper Spur. After reaching the summit, the three -- Brian Hall, 37, and Kelly James, 48, both of Dallas, Texas; and Jerry "Nikko" Cooke, 36, of New York City -- spent the night in a snow cave.

The next day, Hall and Cooke left James, who was injured, in the cave and set out for help. Friends reported them missing after they failed to reach Timberline Lodge. Bad weather stymied the search.

James' body was found in the snow cave and removed from the mountain. Hall and Cooke have not been found.

In July 2008, Dr. Gary Lee, a 55-year-old cancer specialist from Eugene, died after a watermelon-size boulder struck him in the head as he descended the Cooper Spur route with his son. Lee, who had summited Mount Hood more than 40 times, was not wearing a helmet.

Another experienced mountaineer, Brooke Elyse Colvin, 31, died in January when a basketball-size chunk of ice hit her in the face and she fell 400 feet near the 10,000-foot level.

-- Stuart Tomlinson, Suzanne Pardington and Lisa Grace Lednicer contributed to this report.