Mt. Williamson Dec. 20 2012

I'm really not sure how to write this post. I wanted to come up with some awe-inspiring title that would capture the emotion and feelings of what happened on this hike. My mind just goes blank. I have told this story so many times and I have pictured and relived the events of that day over and over and yet I can't seem to write it out.  On the left side of the main page of my blog is says "This blog will be about my experiences, the places I go, how I rated the trail, and most importantly about my reflections." I suppose I should stick to that formula and just write it all out. I'll try to write everything I remember if for no reason than a reference.  

As I had stated in the last post, this winter break was suppose to be "Leland's winter of hiking." I was going to hike at least once a week and travel all over Southern California. I wanted to revisit Joshua Tree and I was thinking of a 2 day trip to Death Valley. Mother Nature had other plans. The first two weeks of my break were rained out. It rained nearly everyday and though I enjoyed my hike in Switzer Falls, I had no desire to repeat that day. So I waited and finally the forecast gave me good news for Thursday, December 20.

Most people had left for the break but for different circumstances I remained along with my good friend, David. We both love hiking and we decided that we would get together and get out onto the trails. I looked through my hiking trail books for the Angeles' mountains and picked out what seemed like a moderate trail with great views. The Mt. Williamson trail over looks the Mojave, the Devil's Punchbowl, and the San Andres Fault. It's high into the Angeles National Forest with an elevation of over 8000'. Medium difficulty. Short distance. Great views. It met all my criteria for a hike. I even thought with all the precipitation lately that we might find some left over snow.

Dave and I did not find some snow. We found a winter wonderland. The roads became icy and we had to turn around a couple of times before we finally found the unmarked trail head at mile marker 62.50. There are actually two trail heads. one at mile marker 62.50 and one about a mile further. We found the other one first but decided not to try it because (I kid you not) we thought it was too dangerous. We both hesitated going onto the trail. We didn't want to risk anything nor did we think the hike was worth our lives. After some prodding from both of us we decided to try it until it got too dangerous. I repeatedly suggested that "we were both idiots for doing this" as I continued forward on the trail.

The trail was pristine. The only footprints in the snow were from some sort of animal. No human has stepped foot on that trail for a few days. This was a true adventure. The trail quickly comes to a fork in the road. The trail to the right switchbacks up to the west and the left was an even path that goes east. David, who was wearing running shoes, took a step on the western trail but thought the ice on the switchback would prove too much for his inadequate footwear. Me, fearing that the hike would be cut short before it got started, decided to go left and lead the way. I was wearing new hiking shoes and could handle the snow and ice much easier than Dave. I blazed a trail for Dave to follow and we walked about a mile in the snow until we could no longer proceed. Below us we could hear a creek and when the creek finally became visible it offered a glimpse into a peaceful place. It made me think of Robert Frost and my own desire to escape from the stresses of life. David admitted that he wished we could go down to the creek but there would be no way up. I sarcastically laughed and said "feel free to take the slid down." We continued on for a little while until we could no longer proceed.The trail became so covered in snow that it was no longer visible. We decided that we had gone as far as we could and that we should call it a day and return to conquer Mt. Williamson after the snow had melt. We took amazing pictures of the snow covered forest. It was truly beautiful. It was a great, short hike in the snow and that is where it should have ended.

But that is not where it ended. On our way back down the trail David, who was getting pretty good at walking in the snow or at least in following in my footsteps, said "hey, we're getting pretty good at hiking in the snow." "I agreed. I was not satisfied with the hike and wanted more. I thought "surely if I can make some footprints for Dave, then we can try going up on the Western trail." I did not let Dave in on this and just continued hiking. After he realized what I was doing he followed and thought that we could go on a little ways until it was too dangerous.

Our thoughts of danger were quickly distracted by the outstanding views that were even better than the ones on the lower trail. We worked our way up the switchbacks despite many instances where we should have turned back. I kept wanting to push forward. I thought if we could just keep going then maybe we can even make it to the peak. Why not?

The trail was getting narrower and the ice was getting worse. There was a particular place were I had made it past some ice. Dave hesitated to follow me and asked what the trail looked like around the bend. I lied, to Dave and to myself, that it wasn't nearly as narrow as this section was. He moved over to me, nearly missing a fall and then took a look at where the trail was going. David knew what I didn't want to admit. We had gone to far and tested our luck way too much. This was not going to happen. He tried to convince me that this was it. It was not worth the risk. I took a step forward to feel the ice and agreed. This would be the end of the trail for us. I took a picture, checked my watch which read 2:00 pm, and we turned around.

It immediately became clear that the descent would not be easy. It was as the footprints that I had made were gone and we were on a whole new trail that would have to be taken seriously. I tried to make a foothold with my shoe in the ice. Dave found a rock to help beat in the snow to help. It did. I crossed over that section of ice and then helped Dave pass. I began to work my foot on the next section of ice. Dave offered the rock to help me break in the ice but I didn't think I needed it. I told him "No, I have it." And then I slipped.

I have no idea how long I was sliding down the slope. I guessed the distance to be somewhere between 200 and 300 feet at an incline of around 60 degrees. Honestly, I have no idea. I didn't have a ruler or a protractor nor did it seem to matter. I'm sure with the accurate measurements it would make a really sick question in high school physics class. With that being said, I have no idea how long I was sliding. But it felt like forever.

My first thought was to grab into the ground. I clawed my fingers to stop myself from sliding. It didn't take long for me to realize how useless that was. I hit something and now I was sliding sideways. Maybe I could grab a root or something sticking out of the ground. Nope, that didn't work. I was not going to stop until the laws of nature saw best fit. I was powerless and all I could do was accept my fate. I would die. If I'm lucky I'll just break a femur or my neck.....wait....protect your neck. Ok, if I want to protect my neck then I should curl up into a ball. Or should I try to stay flat? Think, Leland. When you went white water rafting in Gatlinburg in 2005 they told you to curl up to protect your neck if you capsized  I wonder if that transfers over to sliding down mountains. I'll try to curl up. Now I'm rolling. I can see a patch of plants coming. And the next thing I knew I was stopped next to a fallen tree towards the bottom of the ravine. I do not remember hitting the tree nor did I feel it. But that seems to be the only option.

I stood up. My winter coat which I had been wearing unzipped had completely come off of me except for the wrist of my right arm. I immediately threw on everything that I could. I wasn't sure how cold my body was after sliding in the snow. That's when it occurred to me that I could move. My neck worked find, I could feel all of my appendages. Except for a pain midway up the outside of my right calve, I could walk fine.  I was shocked. Just seconds earlier I thought I was going to die and here I was standing up. I looked up into the sky and said "God, you just saved my life. I should be dead but I'm not. Thank you."

I yelled back up to Dave. "I'm alive and I'm ok. Please send help." He yelled backed, "what do you want me to do?" "Go get help! I'm going to try my cell phone." I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. There was no signal. I tried to do an emergency call but it wasn't working. My only hope of rescue was Dave and his darn, running shoes. I then checked my pockets to see what I had. My wallet and keys were still there but my camera was gone. I thought "well the blog will suffer but I don't care about the camera right now." I opened my back pack and got out my cheap survival kit. I had never opened it before so I was only half-sure what would be in there. There was a multi-tool, a small flashlight, some water proof matches, some band-aides, and a whistle. I took the whistle out and started blowing it in hope that there might be someone else within earshot of the whistle. Dave responded, "do you need me. I heard your whistle." I was irritated by his return though it was completely logical on his part. I just screamed back "No! GO GET HELP!"

I finally began to think somewhat clearly. I could tell my arms and hands were cut up pretty bad. My right leg on my jeans were torn open. My stomach was stinging. At this point I thought that I might be getting frostbite on my stomach. I had looked at it and it was purple. Later I would realize that it had just been covered in blood. I looked down into the ravine and it looked like a nice place to set up camp and wait for rescue but I still was gun shy about walking on my leg. I waited a little while longer. I looked again and noticed that the sun was shining onto the opposing side of the ravine. It looked warm and I would rather wait there for help than just standing here next to the fallen tree. I got up my courage and carefully walked on the land that was not meant for human feet. It was uneven and I stepped into a hole that had been covered by snow. I finally made it to the sunshine. It felt good to be in the light. I just hoped that rescue would come before dark.

I wondered what was happening with Dave. Would he be able to make it down the trail without slipping off the side? Would he be so lucky if he did slid. Oh, God, please don't let him slip. I couldn't stand the thought of Dave dying. And if Dave slipped, how long would it be before anyone noticed my car? Would anyone stop at the sight of a parked car and think to call rescue? I always post on Facebook where I'm going just in case something happens. Well something happened, how long would it be before someone things back to the status and put two and two together? Would I be able to survive the night. I was starting to panic. I couldn't do that. I started to pray for Dave's safety. And then I thought of my loved ones. I just wanted to tell my mother that I loved her one last time. I thought of my family and my baby niece who I wanted to see grow up. I thought of Jessica who had meant so much to me for so many years. I had to survive. Not for my sake but for the sake of those who loved me. I began to gather sticks. I had a hatchet that Brian and Kelly had given me as a gift for officiating there wedding. I used it to cut off some branches from another fallen over log. i put the bundle of the driest looking sticks I could find on the ground, took out the matches, and tried to start a fire. It wouldn't work. The wood had been covered in snow and was not going to catch fire.

I tightened up my jacket even more. It was now 4:00 pm and still no sign of rescue. I had about 1:30 hours of sunlight left. I looked over to my right and there it was. That freaking creek we had noticed earlier. Perhaps, if I could follow the creek and continued to yell for help and blow my whistle, then I could meet any rescuers half way. Surely help was coming. Help had to be coming. I had to move. I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. What if help wasn't coming. help had to be coming. I have to move. I started walking down the banks of the creek.

This is untrammeled wilderness and I was essentially winging it. I would follow one bank as far as I could, then cross the creek until I could go no further, then cross it again. The creek was cutting through hills because I would have to slide down miniature slopes to continue on, what I did not realize that as I proceeded down the slopes, I was cutting off any chance of me going back. I finally slid down a slop into some bushes. When I hit the bushes I noticed what was on the other side. It was a 10 foot drop down a waterfall. I was lucky to not have busted through the bushes. I crawled up to a tree where I could hang on.

I began to map out my next move but there wasn't one to make. I could not make any safe move. I was stuck there. I checked my cell phone for the time (my watch was ripped off at some point during the slid). It was 5:00. I had about 30 more minutes of sunlight and I couldn't spend my night here, hugging onto a tree. I took a deep breathe, tried to remain calm and reevaluated my situation. Surely I could do something. I could slid into some branches, where I could then crawl up and then maybe slid down a pretty good ways into the creek. However, that slid into the creek was much further and much steeper than I was willing to risk. I needed help and I needed it now. I had no idea what I was going to do. Out of frustration I screamed "Father, God, send help!"

Then  I heard it. I heard a thump. Then is sounded like yelling in the distance. I couldn't make out what it said but it sounded like a person. I yelled and blew my whistle as loud as I could. The voices got closer and closer. I could finally here my name. I yelled "I'm at the waterfall by the creek. I'm stuck and need help."

I couldn't see anyone and but I could here a man's voice. I could only make out about half of what he was saying. He asked it i was hurt and if I could move. Out of excitement and a desire to get closer to help i decided to make my next move. i slid down to the branches but in stead of sliding down to the creek I pulled myself up the another tree.

I could make out the officer who claimed to be from Los Angeles Sherriff's Department. I couldn't make out his name but it sounded like "Rice." I settled for calling him Ryan until I could meet him face-to-face. He informed me that an helicopter was coming and to wave whatever I could at it. I did so. When that didn't work I shined my weak flashlight at it. It was now dusk and the flashlight stood out just enough that the helicopter saw me. They were scouting out the area around me and trying to figure out what they needed to get to me.

I waited as night fell for my rescuers. I kept calling up to "Ryan" to see if he was still there. While I was standing there i dug my shoes into the slope and tried to make it across the slope. This is by far the stupidest thing i did all day. But I wanted out. I slowly made my way across the slope while holding onto the branch. I finally saw the headlamps slowly making there way toward me. I made a leap of faith and crossed the slope into some more trees.

Two men, Joe and Mike, came within sight. They had ice picks and clampons that helped them cross the slopes. They looked as if they were gliding across the slopes. It was a miracle. When they got close to me I said "Hey, how are y'all doing tonight?" They seemed more interested in how I was doing. I then asked what I had been wondering since the fall "had Dave made it? Was he the one who had called emergency or had someone noticed my car?" Joe informed me that "my friend was safe." I tried to be in good humor as they tied a rope around me, making a harness. A third man, Doug, came to offer his assistance.They told me what they were going to do. They were going to tie a rope around the tree I was hugging, Joe was going to cross the slope and tie the rope to another tree and then they were going to harness me to the rope and they were going to help me across. Mike asked me if I was ok with this which I agreed. He replied "good because that's what we're going to do." I laughed but then admitted that I was terrified. All of my emotions from the day were beginning to come out. As they were getting me ready Joe said "Oh, by the way, my friend want's you to know that his name is "Bryce" and not "Ryan."

Doug helped me across to the other side. Mike then crossed and we repeated the entire process on the next slope. They had me sit on a stump, as they prepared the next contraption. As I was sitting on the stump I realized I couldn't feel my butt. It had gone completely numb. I told this to Joe. His response was "don't worry, I can't feel my toes." This did not ease my fears to say the least. I then realized that this was going to take a much longer time than I hoped. I asked one of them to radio dispatch and have them call my work to let them know I would be unable to make it to my 8 pm shift. They did.

The next contraption was a lowering system. They tied me to a tree and myself and Joe repelled down the side of the slope. this was actually a lot of fun and Joe told me people pay a lot of money to be able to do this. I laughed and decided this would make a great story. When we reached the bottom, Joe told me that the worst part was over and now it would be a breeze getting me out of here. Joe, I found out, was a lier.

We waited at the bottom of the slop where Judy repelled down and gave us a harness and some rope. She then climbed up as Joe got me ready. The way the contraption worked was I was harnessed to a rope. There were 5 people pulling me up as I crawled along the side of the slope. We got ready and started. 5 steps into it, the top side had to stop in order to fix a rope. All of my adrenaline that I had saved to put into this was gone because we had to break. This completely threw me off. The rest of the way was long and hard as I would go 30 feet and have to stop for break. Within the last 30 feet, I had to stop for a break. I could see and hear Bryce. The cheered me on as I made it to the top. I feel to the ground as I tried to catch my breathe. I was exhausted.

When I stood up, Bryce asked me several questions and checked me for a concussion. I answered the questions exceptionally well. He asked me where I was "I told him exactly and even told him which trail number it was in the book I had bought and where I had bought the book. This satisfied him. I looked at joe and said "you just saved my life. "He smiled and said "it's out job."

I should take this moment to say that it is not all of their jobs. Bryce and Joe work for the LA sheriff's department. Everyone else were members of the Sierra Madre Search and Resuce and Montrose Search and Rescue. These are both volunteer groups. These men and women do what they do for fun.

Joe and Bryce slowly walked me off the trail. I recognized this as the lower trail that Dave and I had originally hiked. Bryce stayed on my outside and was not going to take any chance of me falling again. they then informed me that the news was waiting at the trailhead. Which I thought "oh great, my jeans are ripped and I'm going to flash everyone." They also told me that Dave was waiting at the trailhead. I had assumed someone would have driven him home but now I felt bad that he had been waiting in the cold for the last 7 hours.

As I turned the last corner I saw Dave. I stopped and said "Getting better at hiking in the snow, my ass." Everyone let out a laugh but Dave continued toward me. I gave him a hug and emotions overran me as i told him how glad I was that he was alive.  The news then approached me but Joe and Bryce, who were also paramedics, wanted to look me over. They cleaned my wounds and looked me over. They said that I would be fine and they didn't think my leg was fractured. I did an interview and thanked all the rescuers again. I then gave Dave the keys to my car and climbed in the passenger seat. I blasted the heat and we talked about the miracle that just occurred  how would we explain this to our families, and whether his girlfriend would kill him or not. When I got home, I took a hot shower, sat down, and called my mom, and told her that I loved her. That would not be the last time.

It has now been two weeks since the accident and my wounds are healing up. My hands look a lot better and my stomach has scabbed over. I'm still in a lot of pain but I'm glad to be alive. I truly think God performed a miracle. I don't know how I survived the fall nor do i think I would have survived the night. But I did and I was rescued. I owe my eternal gratitude to the men and woman of the search and rescue team, and of course, to my friend Dave.

Despite all of this, it has not killed my desire to go hiking. Once I have recovered I will get back on the trails, however I will always have a friend with me. Also I plan on conquering Mt. Williamson once the snow has melted. With the New Year I come with plans. I plan on hiking the Bridge to Nowhere and Mt. Baldy this year. So please keep an open eye to upcoming blogs and let me know if you would like to join.

Last note. As my camera was lost during my adventure I do not have any pictures to post. David did take a lot of pictures and I will post them if I can figure out how to get them off of his facebook. Also, if anyone wants to offer me a new camera.....I wouldn't say no.

Edit: For anyone who wants to see the news broadcast, here is the link