falls

The Story of Hyundo Ahn & the John Muir Trail

Published by Ray Rippel on January 22, 2018 4 Permalink

The most dangerous part of any John Muir Trail thru-hike is the drive to the trailhead. The wilderness in general has far fewer hazards than your average freeway, and – unlike on the interstate – if you avoid gross lapses of judgment you can almost guarantee your survival. (On the road, you also have to contend with the gross lapses of judgement of others.) But, even in The Gentle Wilderness (as the Sierra Nevada is known), you can get yourself into trouble.

In the summer of 2005 Hyundo Ahn decided to hike the John Muir Trail as part of a last, great adventure before returning to the Republic of Korea; he was a UC Davis exchange student whose time in the United States was coming to an end. He picked up a wilderness permit in the valley on Monday, June 20. Despite the heavy snow that year that lingered well into July, Ahn had planned to hike at an ambitious pace. He seemed “real confident” and listed an exit date, from Whitney Portal, of July 1. That meant he had to average more than twenty miles per day, which is a quick pace in the best of conditions.

After the hike he intended to spend a few weeks touring the states before departing on July 21 for South Korea. He missed his flight that day, and after some investigation, no one could confirm that he had ever exited the wilderness. Yosemite National Park was notified immediately.

Calls to several hundred wilderness permit holders revealed that he had been seen within the park on June 22 and 25. Any hiker who intended to summit Mount Whitney eleven days after departing Happy Isles would be more than seventy miles south of the border of Yosemite on July 25, not still within its confines. No one had seen him since.

By the end of July, the search for Ahn had been scaled back considerably.

On August 5, a search team found his backpack near Pywiack Cascade (see red arrow, above) on Tenaya Creek. That is more than two miles from the closest point along the John Muir Trail, across rugged terrain. The next day his body was found in the creek, about a mile downstream. It had probably been submerged until the waters had receded just a few days earlier.

How a JMT hiker could end up where Ahn was found is quite the mystery. The Cloud’s Rest (see blue arrow, above) trail is a popular alternate route, but it would presumably had even more snow than the standard route along Sunrise Creek. A camera found led investigators to believe than Ahn died on June 26th – just a day after he was seen by other hikers. It also appeared that Ahn had either attempted to cross the creek, or had fallen into it, and had been swept away and battered by the current.

Even with this little data, it seems reasonable to conclude that Ahn’s attempted JMT thru-hike would probably been successful had it not been for the snow. The snow likely forced him off the putative routing, which led to a series of unfortunate decisions culminating at the bank of Tenaya Creek.

Early season John Muir Trail hikers should not consider the presence of snow as a reason to necessarily abandon the hike, but one must be ready for the added difficulty, particularly as it applies to navigation.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: falls, people, safety

Exposure to Heights on the John Muir Trail

Published by Ray Rippel on April 18, 2016 21 Permalink

The southern side of Forester Pass is the only place where there is significant exposure, and the trail there is especially wide and flat.

Whenever I am talking to a small group, or even a single hiker, about a potential John Muir Trail hike, I know some of the same questions are going to come up. The bears are often the first concern. Those who are unfamiliar with the Sierra Nevada often are under the impression that they are lurking behind every tree and boulder, and that a substantial part of their diet is backpackers. After that, it’s not unusual to be asked if I carry a gun. Once we have those two out of the way, it’s not long until I start getting questions about exposure to heights – and, more specifically, falls. Just how bad is it out there on the trail? How often do hikers lose their balance, slip, windmill their arms, and tumble into an abyss, never to be seen again?

Relax. There is almost nothing to worry about.

The only place where you might find yourself getting a little uncomfortable, if heights tend to make you that way, is for about five to ten minutes coming down from Forester Pass (if you are hiking southbound). The trail there is wide and flat, and perhaps more importantly, never crowded. If you suffer from a bit of acrophobia, you can hug the inside of the trail and walk as slowly as you like, without fear of embarrassment. It will be over before the taste of that chocolate bar you ate at the top of the pass has left your mouth.

I said there is almost nothing to worry about. Should your plans to thru-hike the JMT include a side trip to the top of Half Dome, all bets are off. If you are even the slightest bit nervous around heights – and who isn’t – getting to the top of Half Dome is going to require that you get well out of your comfort zone. I have never seen a photograph of the climb up the cables that faithfully conveys the feeling one gets looking up that ascent. Furthermore, although fatalities are very rare, they are not unheard of.

The good news is that you can arrive at the bottom of Half Dome, decide it isn’t your cup of tea, and still hike 100% of the John Muir Trail. Unlike Forester Pass, Half Dome is optional.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: falls, Half Dome, passes, safety

Alone & Off-Trail, Part 2

Published by Ray Rippel on April 7, 2015 6 Permalink

I first published the article, below, back in July 2012. I did so because I thought there were many lessons to be learned from the incident. A recent accident, with many of the same basic facts, occurred last month. Here is a short excerpt from the accident report:

Upon speaking with the subject, he was most anxious to convey to other Yosemite hikers and backpackers that, if they choose to hike alone, they assume additional risks in doing so. With that in mind, they should do all in their power to mitigate any further risks along the way. He left the trail and entered loose, steep, difficult terrain—a choice that could have been deadly if he had not been able to stop his fall. He suggested that those traveling alone should “have a little more humility,” and recognize they are far from help if things do not go as planned.

Well said. If you are considering hiking alone, and almost everyone does from time to time, please take a minute to read this old, but evergreen, blog post.

* * * * * *

The Sierra Nevada is known as “The Gentle Wilderness” for lots of reasons, but each year visitors manage to prove that the name doesn’t always apply. About the only upside to that unfortunate truth are the lessons we can learn from their missteps (both figurative and literal).

An event took place within Yosemite National Park, on June 28^th of [2012], which painfully illustrates one critical lesson: hiking alone and hiking off-trail substantially increase the danger of injury or death.

Before I get into the details, I want to emphasize that I am not asserting that hiking alone, hiking off-trail, or doing both at the same time is never the right thing to do. Some risks are worth the benefit and individual hikers need to make that risk/benefit calculation based on their own values and judgment. This story should provide some context for those calculations.

The hiker in question was an older gentleman, in excellent shape, and with hiking experience. He left a “hike plan” with his wife in two ways: a voice mail on her cell phone and a text message to the same device. Neither worked out exactly as planned (the voice message wasn’t noticed for hours, and the text message was never received at all), but that single act of good judgment probably saved his life.

The trip he had chosen was up the Illilouette Creek drainage towards Illilouette Falls. The going was difficult. His route took him over lots of boulders, both large and small, and was increasingly steep. He reached an area near the base of the falls without incident, and without seeing another hiker for the duration of the scramble.

As he neared the falls, he decided to try a route which, almost imperceptibly, went from class 3, to class 4, to class 5. Not long after that, he lost his footing and tumbled 100 feet to a granite slab below.

Fortunately, he had the good sense to fall at a place with some—not great, but some—cell phone coverage. After communicating with the rescue team, and after spending a very uncomfortable night where he fell (the rescuers did not arrive until near dark), he was evacuated and transported to a trauma center. None of his extensive injuries (including five different fractures) were life-threatening, but it’s safe to say he’ll be doing no more hiking for months.

First the obvious: had he failed to leave a “hike plan” and had fallen somewhere without cell phone coverage, he very likely would have died. Since depending on a cell phone is lunacy, the big lesson is to make sure someone knows your intentions, including when you plan to leave, your route, and what you have with you.

The second lesson is a bit more subtle, particularly for less experienced hikers: it is amazing how easily you can transition from a class 3 hike to a class 5 climb, almost without noticing. There are no signs, off-trail, that announce you are leaving one kind of wilderness experience and are about to enter a new and far more perilous one.

Here are two cues that should immediately put you on high alert:

1. You start to use your hands.

2. You expose yourself to falls.

These signals are impossible to miss. The second you touch a hand to the ground, you have entered a new and more precarious phase of your hike. Even when there is no exposure to heights, it probably means that you are on uneven terrain, and you can break a leg on uneven terrain in a moment.

When it comes to exposure the rule is simple: if where you are standing is higher off the surrounding ground than you would want to jump, you need to treat it as a climb, not a hike. Remember, also, that the fall need not be vertical or even near vertical. Throughout the Sierra Nevada there are plenty of places where the incline starts benign enough, but the granite is slippery and the slope increases rapidly (anyone climbed the back of Half Dome?).

I go off trail, alone, all the time. When I do, however, the envelope of permissible situations I allow myself to get into shrinks considerably and I become twice as careful as my normal cautious self. If you’re going to push yourself or challenge your limits, take a buddy.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: falls, safety

Seven Years of Lessons Learned

Published by Ray Rippel on August 19, 2014 8 Permalink

It has been seven years since I started hiking again in a big way, and I have learned a ton. That’s good, because I am no longer young enough to just “power through” my mistakes. Thinking-my-way along the trail is a far better approach.

Here are my top ten lessons. If you learned most of these in your first six months, I guess that gives you some insight into the way my mind works—or doesn’t.

1. Weight matters. I don’t care if it is weight around your waist or in your pack, nothing improves the experience of hiking quite like carrying less. You need to stay safe, and you don’t want to shave so many ounces that you no longer are enjoying yourself, but weight DEFINITELY matters. Imagine if you lost ten pounds of body weight and saved another ten pounds with lighter gear. Do it.

2. Get trekking poles and learn how to use them. Nothing will end a hike faster than an injury and the number one way people get injured on the trail is from falls. My trekking poles have saved me from a fall more times than I can count.

3. Take long and more frequent breaks. If you see someplace idyllic along the trail, don’t rush past it! My first thru-hike I often pulled into camp between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., then went to bed early. The second time around I took more and longer breaks. I got to my campsite later, but still in plenty of time, and with great memories of the places I stopped to enjoy. A nap alongside a babbling brook is a wonderful thing.

4. Your most important gear choice is your footwear. Wear what works for you, even if it is a little heavier and even if it bucks the current trends. Oh, and socks are part of the package. Here’s a tip: if you buy a pair of boots or shoes you are unsure of, wear them exclusively inside (perhaps at work) for a couple of days. Chances are you will be able to take them back if they start giving you problems.

5. If you are hiking with someone, work out how you are going to hike ahead of time. Morale is fragile on the trail, and can easily be damaged if one person’s expectations are different from another’s. Are you going to walk with each other, or go your own pace? What are your daily mileage goals? Work this out before you begin, and if you are hiking with your spouse, read this.

6. Take something to read on the trail. I love hiking in the Sierra Nevada, but by the end of the day, I am ready for a vacation from my vacation. Back in my sailing days, one of my favorite authors used to complain that he never understood why there were paintings of seascapes on the walls of boat cabins. His point was: if you want to see the sea, go topside and look at it! He much preferred landscapes. I feel the same way about reading material. No John Muir memoirs for me, after dark, in the tent; instead, give me a murder mystery in an urban setting.

7. The first priority when selecting food is bringing something you will actually eat. Rummaging through the hiking buckets at Red’s and MTR is always a lesson in human nature. Lots of people seem to consider a hiking holiday to be a good time to start eating healthy. What many folks don’t realize is how hard it is to eat enough calories to keep yourself going. You aren’t going to do that if you refuse to eat what you brought. Chocolate, nuts, sweets, pasta—whatever you will eat should be in your bear canister. Leave the kale and sugar-, gluten-, or fat-free stuff for after the hike.

8. If possible, take a zero day at Muir Trail Ranch. It isn’t always possible; reservations can be hard to get. But, for me, the very first date I set (upon which everything else depends) is my reservation at Muir Trail Ranch. The food is wonderful, the camaraderie satisfying, the bath facilities opulent, and, with a location almost precisely half-way along the trail, there is much to recommend spending two nights.

9. Don’t let the big climbs worry you. The climb out of Yosemite Valley? The first day energy will carry you through. The fifty-one switchbacks of Bear Ridge? Hike it early and you’ll be done before you know it. The Golden Staircase? Nothin-but-a-thing. Glen Pass? Okay…there you got me. I do wish they would install an escalator there.

10. Take photos and videos with yourself in them, and keep a trail journal. There will come a time when you are not going to be able to do this anymore. Don’t you want some great memories? Photos, videos, and a trail journal are the best way to memorialize your experience—to yourself. Sure, take a few of the “pretty” pictures so you can remember what you’ve seen, but then get yourself in there, too. Years from now, this will be pretty neat to see.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: books, falls, gear, psychology, safety, spouses, zero day

Injuries While Hiking

Published by Ray Rippel on June 24, 2014 Respond Permalink

Downhill, over an uneven trail, with something pretty in front of you to distract the eye, is exactly when trekking poles can save you from a fall.

In 2011 the results of a study were published in the journal Wilderness & Environmental Medicine regarding hiking and injuries. The results were a bit surprising, and should tend to encourage all first-time John Muir Trail thru-hikers.

The study examined students at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in the Rocky Mountains. The data were collected over two hiking seasons, and over 1,200 hikers were involved.

The biggest take-away is this: you are probably not going to get injured on your hike, and, with a few simple precautions, you can stack the odds even greater in your favor. The authors conclude that there was “…no significant relationship between height, body weight, packweight, age, gender, and packweight to body weight ratio and the risk of significant musculoskeletal or soft tissue injuries while hiking with a backpack.”

There are many good reasons for packing light or for slimming down prior to stepping off from Happy Isles, but preventing injuries does not appear to be one of them. (Note: the authors do go out of their way to mention that some studies DO associate higher pack-weight with blisters.)

Indeed, only 2.2% of the studied population experienced any kind of injury. Half the injuries that did occur involved the knee, and all but six involved either the knee or the ankle.

How can you make this good situation even better? That’s easy.

More than half of the injuries were attributable to overuse or overexertion. That finding doesn’t surprise me a bit. It is very easy to overdo it, especially on the first few days of the hike (and especially since, if starting at Happy Isles, you will be doing a lot of climbing on the way to Tuolumne Meadow). The best way to prevent yourself from an injury involving doing too-much-too-soon is to, first, make sure you are in good shape before you step on the trail, and, second, take frequent breaks & hold down your mileage during the first quarter of your thru-hike.

Most of the other half of the injuries were caused by falls—again, no surprise. Trekking poles, used correctly, will go a long way to prevent those. I have lost count of the number of falls my trekking poles have saved me from on my hikes. I would guess that the average is about one a day. (Admittedly, I’m known as the guy who can trip over the paint on a basketball court, but even if you are twice as sure-footed, that’s a lot of opportunities to hurt yourself, avoided.)

My dad, who was an airline pilot during the time of propeller driven airliners, would often be asked how dangerous flying was. He would answer that the most dangerous part of any trip was the drive to and from the airport. The same can be said of a John Muir Trail thru-hike.

The full study can be read here.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: falls, gear, John Muir Trail, safety

Ten Blog Posts to Read Before You Begin

Published by Ray Rippel on July 23, 2013 2 Permalink

I’ve been writing this blog for well over a year now, and certain blog posts have generated the most interest and (at least according to some readers) have been the most helpful. Here is a list of ten you might want to visit (or re-visit) before you start your adventure.

1. Resupply Packages. Five good ideas on what to take and what to leave out.

2. Near Perfection, at Seventeen-and-a-Half Ounces. The best field guide to take on your trip.

3. Probable Dry Stretches. There was little snow this year in the Sierra Nevada. Here is a list of places unlikely to have much water.

4. Cameras on the Trail, Part 2, Part 3. This three part series discusses the options and leaves the decisions to you.

5. Zero Days, Part 2, Part 3. Should you take one or more days off from hiking while on the trail? Another three-part series.

6. Altitude Sickness, Part 2. A two-part series on the dangers associated with altitude sickness and strategies to avoid it.

7. The Evening I Almost Quit. Read what I did wrong and learn to avoid the same mistakes.

8. Trekking Poles. Get them. Learn how to use them.

9. Taking Care of Your Wheels. All about taking care of your feet on the trail.

10. The First Day. What’s it like stepping off from Happy Isles?

Special bonus for hiking couples: Hiking with Your Spouse. (This is actually one of my most read posts.)

One last point: read the comments on the blog posts, too. There are some real nuggets of wisdom in there!

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: altitude sickness, books, camera, falls, John Muir Trail, obstacles, people, photography, psychology, resupply, safety, spouses, zero day

John Muir Trail: Forester Pass

Published by Ray Rippel on April 16, 2013 20 Permalink

The last pass on the John Muir Trail is Forester Pass. At 13,153 feet above sea level, it is the highest pass on the John Muir Trail* (and the highest point on the JMT’s much longer sibling, the Pacific Crest Trail). For many who hike southbound, it will also be the fourth pass in four days.

The trail up and over the pass was one of the last portions of the trail completed. Much of it is carved into granite, with–if not hair-raising–at least significant exposure to falls.

The only way to hike the last few miles of the approach in the shade is to hike it at night (or carry an umbrella). There isn’t a tree to be found. As John Muir Trail passes go, this is the top dog!

Actually, it’s not that tough.

Physically, by the time to start your way up to Forester Pass, you will have developed legs of steel. With more than 180 trail miles behind you, as well as seven other passes, walking uphill just isn’t going to wear you out like it once did.

Psychologically, there will be very little left on the trail to intimidate you. The butterflies, which were doing loop-de-loops in your stomach as you stood in front of the trailhead sign in Happy Isles, have been exterminated long ago. Besides, as I’ve mentioned previously, once you’ve cleared Glen Pass (probably the day before), your frame-of-mind has subtly changed: you are no longer hiking the trail, you are finishing the trail.

The other factor in your favor is the way the trail is built. It’s miraculous, really. The grade is relentless, but it is also moderate and consistent. There are no possible navigation problems to contend with (unless the area is covered with snow). Keep moving and keep admiring the gorgeous scenery and you’ll be at the top of the pass before you know it.

A view from near Forester Pass on the John Muir Trail.

The view from near Forester Pass is remarkable, as is the exposure!

When you arrive you’ll quickly realize that you will have reached somewhere special. If you were to straddle this pass in a rainstorm, drops that fell to your north would ultimately find themselves in the Kings River. The precipitation to the south will run downhill to the Kern River. One foot will be in King’s Canyon National Park, and one in Sequoia National Park.

The perfect geometry of Junction Peak, with a summit less than a mile away and just a little more than 700 feet above the pass, looks impossibly symmetrical–almost sculpted.

To the south you’ll see Diamond Mesa (looking, unsurprisingly, narrow at the close and far end, and wide in the middle), and Tyndall Creek, your constant companion for the trip down.

Forester (on many old maps it’s called Foresters) Pass was named in August of 1929 by the then supervisor of the Sequoia National Forest, Frank Cunningham. He named the pass in honor of the foresters who discovered the pass. (Frank was one of them, so, in a way, he named it after himself!)

It’s not all downhill from Forester Pass to the end of the JMT; you will climb even higher before you finish at the summit of Mount Whitney. But, as you depart Forester Pass, one of the last great challenges of the trail will be behind you and in two days it will likely all be over.

Good hiking, Ray

* Once you leave the John Muir Trail for the trip down to Whitney Portal, you’ll cross another, slightly higher, pass: Trail Crest. However, the less-than-a-mile stretch from the point at which you leave the JMT, to Trail Crest pass, involves very little climbing.

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: falls, John Muir Trail, pass history, passes

Hiking Half Dome

Published by Ray Rippel on September 7, 2012 8 Permalink

One of the decisions you’ll need to make during your John Muir Trail thru-hike is whether or not to take a detour and hike to the top of Half Dome. If you haven’t already decided, here are a few thoughts.

First, a bit in the way of description for those who may not be aware of what is involved. If you’re not an experienced climber, the only way to the top of this most famous Yosemite landmark is via the northeast shoulder of the mountain. Along that route are twin cables, running up the steep granite face, to the flat (and surprisingly large) top of the dome.

Although the cables are installed all year long; they are not “set-up” until the spring. Once the snow accumulation is gone, Rangers suspend them several feet off the ground, on metal stanchions mounted into the granite. Wooden boards are laid across the bottoms of the stanchions to brace against as you climb. The stanchions and boards are removed for the winter, usually sometime in October.

The slope, in places, exceeds sixty degrees. I have never seen a photo that does the true nature of the climb justice. Many people, when they first approach the bottom, turn around and leave—deciding that the incline is a bit more than they had signed up for. (Truthfully, I was almost one of them.)

Gloves (to protect your hands from the cables) and shoes with flat, sticky soles help considerably.

The top is amazing, and, in my opinion, well worth the trouble. One doesn’t often look down on El Capitan, and the views of the valley floor are incredible. Don’t miss the opportunity to get on your belly and scoot to the very edge for the view straight down. (Just make sure that no more than your head is hanging over!)

But should you do it during your John Muir Trail thru-hike?

If it takes a ton of money or travel time for you to get to Yosemite National Park, and you don’t expect to be able to return to the park in the next year or so, go ahead. Scaling the cables is an amazing adventure. It’s scary, but relatively safe, and it provides a tremendous payoff for just half-a-day of delay. (I say it is relatively safe, but there have been a few fatalities over the decades of use. There is little room for error on the cables. Should you slip and let go, the odds are against you.)

I also believe that the cables are the “firefall” of the twenty-first century. (More on the firefall, if you have never heard of it.) In other words, I think the days of the cables are numbered. They have always been a thorn in the side of a certain element within the National Park Service, and in recent years they have instituted a permitting system to regulate access. In short, if you don’t do it when you have the chance, you may not get the chance again, after the government’s mighty thumb rubs out the option to do so.

Should you decide to try, there are a couple of problems of which you should be aware:

You will probably have to enter the wilderness on a Little Yosemite Valley permit. Unless you plan on getting up early enough (and are fast enough) to hike to the top of Half Dome, hike back down, and then hike all the way out of Little Yosemite Valley, you will not be able to enter the wilderness on a “pass-through” permit. (There is nothing wrong with entering on a LYV permit, but this means you’ll be competing for a smaller number of permits.)
You will need to either haul your entire backpack up the cables, or leave it somewhere in the wilderness. Remember, until you hike past the Half Dome trail, the trail winds through areas frequented by day hikers. Someone may be tempted to pilfer something out of your pack. The more likely and determined thief, however, would be one of the many, many bears that frequent Little Yosemite Valley and have come to associate brightly colored bags with tasty, tasty treats. There is no surer way to end a John Muir Trail thru-hike, on the very first day, than to find your backpack, tent and other supplies ripped apart and littering the spot where you hid it.

One last comment on permits: the current policy, although I could find it written nowhere, is that if you have a wilderness permit to hike the JMT you automatically get a Half Dome permit. Be sure to ask the Ranger when you get your JMT permit, though, to either annotate it on that permit, or to give you a different permit for Half Dome.

Update on the permits to climb Half Dome via the cables (as of April 2013): the NPS has cut the number of permits from 400 per day to 300 per day, and Wilderness Permit holders no longer automatically get to climb it. One must annotate Half Dome on the reservation request, or get it added to a walk-up permit. There are only 75 set aside for WP holders, so there is no guarantee that you will get your permit.

Ultimately, my advice is this: if you can arrange to do the Half Dome hike at another time, skip it during your JMT thru-hike. If this is going to be your only chance, don’t miss it!

Good hiking, Ray

The top of Half Dome is larger than you might imagine!

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: bears, falls, Half Dome, safety

Hiking and Backpacking Movies

Published by Ray Rippel on August 31, 2012 5 Permalink

It’s off season for John Muir Trail Hike planning, although many are out there actually hiking the trail, so I thought I’d try something different. Here are my five favorite movies that have some relevance to hiking or backpacking. Oh, and one more thing you should probably know: I have terrible taste in movies!

#5 Cliffhanger (1993). What’s more natural than following a comment on poor taste with a recommendation of a Stallone movie? The opening scene is ludicrous, but the story (plot holes and all) moves along nicely, and John Lithgow plays an absolutely chilling villain. It also has some good helicopter footage, which is near and dear to my heart (as an ex-Army aviator). Almost the entire movie is filmed outdoors, and the scenery is first class.

#4 A Perfect Getaway (2009). Hawai‘i is home, so I feel obligated to include this gem. The Kalalau Trail on the Na Pali coast of Kauai is considered one of the ten best hikes on the planet, and it sure looks good in this movie. (Much better than the recent review it got in Backpacker magazine, which described the trail as trashed, poorly maintained, and full of malcontents.) The story concerns a nice tourist couple who love to travel and happen to be serial killers. That’s the thing about hiking: you always meet such NICE people.

#3 Shoot to Kill (1988). Good story, good acting (Sidney Poitier’s first film after taking ten years off), a thin Kirstie Alley, and a great chase-scene involving a bear. What’s not to like? Although some of the story takes place well outside the wilderness, when the action moves to the woods the photography is breathtaking. The only downside: the next time you’re on a trail with some exposure you’re going to be very nervous hiking in front of someone you don’t know.

#2 Touching the Void (2009). Acting as the perfect illustration of fact being stranger than fiction, this movie tells the true story of Joe Simpson’s and Simon Yates’ ascent, and disastrous descent, of Siula Grande in Peru. After a series of miscues, Yates finds himself at one end of a line, with Simpson dangling over the edge of a crevasse on the other end. What’s worse that having to cut the line on your climbing buddy, sending him to certain death? How about explaining to him later why you did it?

#1 North Face (2008). It’s hard to believe that Clint Eastwood’s “The Eiger Sanction” is the second best movie about this particular mountain, but it is. This story (dialog in German with English subtitles) of the first ascent of the north face of the Eiger is set against the rise of the National Socialist party, before Germany swallowed Austria via the Anschluss. The story is layered, complex and satisfying. I found the ending extremely disturbing; it’s stayed with me for years.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: bears, falls, movies, psychology

John Muir Trail: Alone & Off-Trail

Published by Ray Rippel on July 26, 2012 Respond Permalink

The Sierra Nevada is known as “The Gentle Wilderness” for lots of reasons, but each year visitors manage to prove that the name doesn’t always apply. About the only upsides to that unfortunate truth are the lessons we can learn from their missteps (both figurative and literal).

An event took place within Yosemite National Park, on June 28^th of this year, which painfully illustrates one critical lesson: hiking alone and hiking off-trail substantially increase the danger of injury or death.

Before I get into the details, I want to emphasize that I am not asserting that hiking alone, hiking off-trail, or doing both at the same time is never the right thing to do. Some risks are worth the benefits, and individual hikers need to make that risk/benefit calculation based on their own values and judgment. This story should provide some context for those calculations.

Fortunately, he had the good sense to fall at place with some—not great, but some—cell phone coverage. After communicating with the rescue team, and after spending a very uncomfortable night where he fell (the rescuers did not arrive until near dark), he was evacuated and transported to a trauma center. None of his extensive injuries (including five different fractures) were life threatening, but it’s safe to say he’ll be doing no more hiking for months.

Here are two cues that should immediately put you on high alert:

1. You start to use your hands.

2. You expose yourself to falls.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: falls, safety