The Hiking Thread

[GoCubsGo]

4th of July hike - Cottonwood Canyon State Park, approximately 20 miles outside of Middle of Nowhere, OR

https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guid ... acles_Hike

Man, does that look gorgeous.

Was it as good as the pic?

[O Really]

Man, does that look gorgeous.

Was it as good as the pic?

It does. Was 'zactly like the pic. You walk along beside and sometimes under the basalt cliffs for a mile or so, right beside the river. The other side of the river is completely different, more gentle rounded hills. But on a beautiful holiday, July 4th, I think we saw maybe three other couples. There were quite a few people fishing, mostly on the other side of the park, but we pretty much had the trail to ourselves.

[GoCubsGo]

Man, does that look gorgeous.

Was it as good as the pic?

It does. Was 'zactly like the pic. You walk along beside and sometimes under the basalt cliffs for a mile or so, right beside the river. The other side of the river is completely different, more gentle rounded hills. But on a beautiful holiday, July 4th, I think we saw maybe three other couples. There were quite a few people fishing, mostly on the other side of the park, but we pretty much had the trail to ourselves.

A good day.

[Whack9]

https://abc13.com/missing-hiker-rescue- ... /12032839/

Man rescued while trying to retrace steps of family who died on Northern California hiking trail

...

MARIPOSA, Calif. -- A tourist from Michigan who tried to retrace the steps of a family who died during a grueling summer hike in Northern California had to be rescued last week after getting lost, a frustrated sheriff said.

The man, who has not been identified, was reported missing near the trail in Mariposa County where officials last year found the bodies of Jonathan Gerrish, his wife, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter Aurelia "Miju" Chung-Gerrish and their dog Oski, Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said in a statement posted on social media.

The mysterious deaths grabbed international headlines. More than 30 law enforcement agencies painstakingly reviewed - and ruled out - causes of deaths such as murder, lightning strikes, poisoning, illegal drugs and suicide.

After a two-month investigation, authorities determined the family and their dog died of extreme heat exhaustion after running out of water while hiking last year on a sunny August afternoon when temperatures reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit in the steep mountain terrain.

On June 29, a hiker called authorities after noticing the man's car was still parked at the trailhead. The caller had met the tourist from Michigan a day earlier when he told him he was investigating the family's deaths because he found the cause of death "odd," Briese said.

A search and rescue crew with the help of a helicopter from the Fresno County Sheriff's Office found the man later that day.

The tourist was described as being in his mid-60's, approximately 5'6" (1.68 meters) and 200 pounds (90 kilograms), and wearing sweatpants "on some of the hottest days we have seen this year," Briese said.

The man began his hike in an area with a closed gate and marked with a "CLOSED" sign. He had finished the water from the two one-gallon water containers he was carrying and had to drink water from the nearby river, he said.

After rescuers found him, the man wanted to know if there had been updated algae testing on the water, Briese said.

He was treated for dehydration and badly blistered feet before he left the area in his rental car against medical advice, Briese said.

[Vrede too]

https://abc13.com/missing-hiker-rescue- ... /12032839/

Man rescued while trying to retrace steps of family who died on Northern California hiking trail

...

Thanks, lots to unpack there.

Retracing the route of the Chung-Gerrish family: I might do something like that, though I accept the coroner's determination. Not fully clear if he's a conspiracy theorist or not, or what he hoped to find.

Hiking alone: Not ideal, but never a deal breaker for me.

Getting lost: Doesn't everyone have GPS these days?

Hiking in late June despite the family having died of extreme heat exhaustion: Not very smart.

Not leaving word as to where he was going: Not ideal, but I've done that a time or two.

Chatting up a stranger at the trailhead: May have saved his life.

"wearing sweatpants 'on some of the hottest days we have seen this year'": Opps.

Hiking on a "CLOSED" trail: I may have done that a time or two.

Carrying two gallons of water: I may never have carried that much , good for him, but I do carry a water filter.

Getting dehydrated despite drinking from a river: Dumb, if it's going to make you sick the amount you drink doesn't make much difference. There are antibiotics, don't die before you can get some.

"badly blistered feet": The right footwear is EVERYTHING when going on a difficult hike. #2 is turning around early if one has the wrong footwear.

[GoCubsGo]

He's got to be a Republican.

[Vrede too]

He's got to be a Republican.

I'll bet he doesn't think it's as "odd" that the family and their dog died of extreme heat exhaustion now.

[Vrede too]

...

You know the area better than me, but something seems funky about this:

Couple Camping in California Wilderness Find Lost Man Who Survived for Weeks on Half Jar of Salsa

A man who was lost in the wilderness for two weeks was rescued by a couple who heard him screaming for help.

Allison Scott and her boyfriend were camping between Big Bear Lake and Angelus Oaks on Black Friday....

"We were underneath a flight path and an airplane went by pretty low and we heard someone yelling for help," she told the outlet.

Yelling at an airplane?

... "He had a stick with a water bottle on it trying to signal....

That's a weird signaling device.

He couldn't walk. His feet were extremely swollen and infected just from walking so much, and possibly the cold where he was."

Scott added that Eric told the pair that he had gotten lost two weeks ago after leaving his hometown Oceanside, California, which is 30-plus hours walking distance from where he was found. He lived off of a half-empty jar of salsa to stay alive.

130 miles or so.
Where was his goal?
There are towns and roads, at what point did he become lost?
Who takes a jar of salsa hiking?

... "He said he doesn't have a cellphone...."

That explains the lack of GPS.

... Eric had suffered "minor injuries." ...

Details?

[O Really]

I'm gonna guess the guy really did get lost, but the article is written so poorly that the story is distorted. Nevertheless, he seems like a peculiar duck at best.

[billy.pilgrim]

...

You know the area better than me, but something seems funky about this:

Couple Camping in California Wilderness Find Lost Man Who Survived for Weeks on Half Jar of Salsa

A man who was lost in the wilderness for two weeks was rescued by a couple who heard him screaming for help.

Allison Scott and her boyfriend were camping between Big Bear Lake and Angelus Oaks on Black Friday....

"We were underneath a flight path and an airplane went by pretty low and we heard someone yelling for help," she told the outlet.

Yelling at an airplane?

... "He had a stick with a water bottle on it trying to signal....

That's a weird signaling device.

He couldn't walk. His feet were extremely swollen and infected just from walking so much, and possibly the cold where he was."

Scott added that Eric told the pair that he had gotten lost two weeks ago after leaving his hometown Oceanside, California, which is 30-plus hours walking distance from where he was found. He lived off of a half-empty jar of salsa to stay alive.

130 miles or so.
Where was his goal?
There are towns and roads, at what point did he become lost?
Who takes a jar of salsa hiking?

... "He said he doesn't have a cellphone...."

That explains the lack of GPS.

... Eric had suffered "minor injuries." ...

Details?

They say salsa is the most widely used condiment

[Vrede too]

They say salsa is the most widely used condiment

, but if I'm hiking I carry chili powder, red pepper powder or crushed red pepper, never liquid salsa and never glass.

[O Really]

More on this still-suspicious story. Now it says he "took a cab" up to the mountain for his hike. A hundred mile cab ride out of Oceanside? Right. It would be about $125 to take a cab to San Diego airport. So let's say he coughed up $300+ for his ride up, and still didn't have a ride back. Nothing about this story adds up.

https://www.unilad.com/news/man-lost-mo ... 8-20221210

[Vrede too]

More on this still-suspicious story. Now it says he "took a cab" up to the mountain for his hike. A hundred mile cab ride out of Oceanside? Right. It would be about $125 to take a cab to San Diego airport. So let's say he coughed up $300+ for his ride up, and still didn't have a ride back. Nothing about this story adds up.

https://www.unilad.com/news/man-lost-mo ... 8-20221210

Maybe a bus to Redlands and then a cab from there?
There is a 17.5 mile trail from Angelus Oaks to Big Bear Lake and a road at the lake. Not sure how easy it is to get lost, but seems like any NNE hiking would get you there.
https://www.alltrails.com/us/california/angelus-oaks

[O Really]

What's so peculiar about this story is that it's re-published in a bunch of places, but nobody seems to have bothered to follow up with detail. Base storyline you've got a guy lost for two weeks and survives on salsa? And nobody bothers to investigate how he got into that situation, or what he had originally intended to do, or whether maybe he's stretching the story or possibly is missing a few bats in his belfry?

[Vrede too]

What's so peculiar about this story is that it's re-published in a bunch of places, but nobody seems to have bothered to follow up with detail. Base storyline you've got a guy lost for two weeks and survives on salsa? And nobody bothers to investigate how he got into that situation, or what he had originally intended to do, or whether maybe he's stretching the story or possibly is missing a few bats in his belfry?

Sounds like a job for the O Reallys. Take him out to lunch.

[O Really]

What's so peculiar about this story is that it's re-published in a bunch of places, but nobody seems to have bothered to follow up with detail. Base storyline you've got a guy lost for two weeks and survives on salsa? And nobody bothers to investigate how he got into that situation, or what he had originally intended to do, or whether maybe he's stretching the story or possibly is missing a few bats in his belfry?

Sounds like a job for the O Reallys. Take him out to lunch.

Sure - maybe we'll take him here: https://www.allmenus.com/ca/oceanside/2 ... alsa/menu/

[neoplacebo]

What's so peculiar about this story is that it's re-published in a bunch of places, but nobody seems to have bothered to follow up with detail. Base storyline you've got a guy lost for two weeks and survives on salsa? And nobody bothers to investigate how he got into that situation, or what he had originally intended to do, or whether maybe he's stretching the story or possibly is missing a few bats in his belfry?

My theory is that he had been stumbling around out there searching for his legless camp oven. This would explain the jar of salsa....he was obviously in the process of heating up some chili peppers and green peppers when things suddenly went sideways on him. I bet the oven is still out there.

[Vrede too]

What's so peculiar about this story is that it's re-published in a bunch of places, but nobody seems to have bothered to follow up with detail. Base storyline you've got a guy lost for two weeks and survives on salsa? And nobody bothers to investigate how he got into that situation, or what he had originally intended to do, or whether maybe he's stretching the story or possibly is missing a few bats in his belfry?

Did you ever see a followup or will it remain an eternal mystery?

Community kudos

Barnardsville resident Reid Woolsey set a new world record for the most elevation gained by trail running over the course of a month. From Oct. 1-31, Woolsey ascended over 500,000 feet while running more than 990 miles on the Woody Ridge Trail and other trails in Pisgah National Forest. The previous record, set by Colorado resident Chris Fisher last year, was just over 400,000 feet.

Averaged 32 miles and 16,000+ feet per day!!!

I had a roommate who was that kind of crazy, though not as extreme. He trained for months so he could run 40 wilderness miles with a several thousand foot gain and drop on his 40th birthday. He had to shave a bit off of his total because of snow in the way, but not much.

[O Really]

What's so peculiar about this story is that it's re-published in a bunch of places, but nobody seems to have bothered to follow up with detail. Base storyline you've got a guy lost for two weeks and survives on salsa? And nobody bothers to investigate how he got into that situation, or what he had originally intended to do, or whether maybe he's stretching the story or possibly is missing a few bats in his belfry?

Did you ever see a followup or will it remain an eternal mystery?

Story just died as far as I can tell.

I still think it smells like three days of dead fish. Reminds me of the story the woman made up about getting kidnapped by a "couple of Hispanic women" and other hoax stories.

I'm guessing nobody bothered to follow up because there was no real harm done. Nobody reported him missing, nobody got killed, search crews weren't called out ... just some looney guy making up a story. So who cares.

Edit: Article search finds nothing - nothing - later than 12/10, following a frenzy of everybody printing essentially the same content on the 8-9. Nobody cares, apparently.

[GoCubsGo]

Nobody cares, apparently.

I know I don't.