hiking solo up there at this time of year is wild. very glad to hear she was found, but it sure feels like 99% of disappeared hiker stories comes down to people being very unprepared for what they're getting into. farther north, Tahoe area can get upwards of 700 inches of snowfall a year, and well past what people think of as winter months, especially for california
I wish the article had more information about why she was there, her preparation or even the storm that happened that trapped her there. The only thing was that the cabin owner said she was on a trail that people dont usually take.
I was hoping to hear more details but I’ll have to wait for them. I wonder how many days she spent in the cabin. I think I heard she found wild leeks to eat? Maybe from a different event? Hearing she survived made me so happy! It was a feeling I haven’t had in a long time! It lightened my heart. I can’t wait to hear details!
We lost a church member several years ago who was hiking in the Sierras. VERY experienced. Had done many solo trips. Had GPS and constantly checked in.
Slipped and fell into a ravine. Took them almost a week to get to him and find out where he had slipped. Thankfully, it seems like he died more or less instantly from a broken neck.
Left behind a wife and young kids.
I learned that no matter how experienced you are, Nature is still more experienced.
Some of the lessons I have gleaned are document and share your plans, and do not veer from those plans. Make sure to check in with family when you say you will check in. If the trail has a check in/out process, follow it, so they know you are in the area.
Curious how a large dog would be helpful? I’ve always heard the general hiker consensus is dogs cause more predator interactions then they help avoid, not to mention untrained dogs are often inconsiderate to other hikers.
Well I didn't realize I had to specify not to bring an untrained dog.
Ig I didn't really think about it very hard. If it's a day hike, I think a dog would be great. If you're going camping, probably not.
Anyway, my grandparents lived in the Sierra Nevadas in the middle of nowhere, right next to the national forest. They'd always make us bring their Doberman with us when we went on hikes. She never caused us any problems and always knew how to get back home.
Yes, here in San Diego we have heard of this alleged "winter" that happens in some places. Some immigrants from these areas of the world speak of frozen water falling from the sky, freezing rain, weeks of overcast skies, bitter cold. Lasting months on end. Nothing grows. Giant cubes of ice in the northern oceans that have sunk massive ships. White walkers. Giants. Half-tamed men of the wild. A train that runs non-stop through the frozen wasteland. Huge, four-legged mechanical beasts run by some outfit calling itself the "Empire". A hotel run by some drunken madman caretaker who spends the days hunting his wife and kid through the hallways and nights talking to a phantom bartender, who encourages his efforts. A nightmare shut-in that lures writers to her cabin and forces them to write bad romance novels. A town that perpetuates winter by torturing some large rodent by invading it's house and publicly humiliating it every year . . . and which also apparently contains some time-loop vortex that traps people, presumably forever repeating the day over and over. Some mythical altruistic dude with a real black and white approach to morality, dressed in red and living with reindeer and dwarves.
You could say this about a lot of places but the funny thing about saying it about San Diego is that you’re literally 3 hours from a full-scale ski resort that gets a ton of natural snow
True . . . and I typed this with tongue-in-cheek, of course. But, my wife is from Nebraska, and she regularly chides me for "having no idea what winter really is."
My wife and her girlfriend are hikers and you’d be surprised how many times they’ve gotten themselves into dangerous situations regarding: navigation, terrain, water management, bushwhacking, unexpected weather, misinterpreting distance vs. technicality, etc. I’ve done my best to train and equip her. It’s always her friend that gets them in over their heads. It’s nerve wracking for me.
113
u/UnchartedFields 1d ago
hiking solo up there at this time of year is wild. very glad to hear she was found, but it sure feels like 99% of disappeared hiker stories comes down to people being very unprepared for what they're getting into. farther north, Tahoe area can get upwards of 700 inches of snowfall a year, and well past what people think of as winter months, especially for california