Mar.8-9, age 66, I meet by far my greatest physical challenge. Lost in Yosemite. The short story is that I hiked from noon to 3am without water, without food, without seeing anyone. I was rescued by an amazing man, Bill Bailey, of Coulterville, the great state of California, at 3am in the outskirts of Coulterville. His son had asked him to have a drink at a bar, and so, unusually, was heading home at 3am where I had just realized that all my calculations of where I was had gone horribly wrong. I looked at him as he went by fast (the first car I had seen), but when he turned around I waved my arms and told him I had walked for 15 hours without water. He took me to his place, gave me lots of water and two big sandwiches, had a young son change beds to make room for me. Then in the morning he and his friends gave me breakfast (and more water, I think Ill be drinking lots of water for the rest of my life, when you dont have it its all you think about, I fantasized about going into a McDonalds and ordering their biggest coke with a big glass of water). The next morning he drove me back to my car. It took 40 minutes to drive there. I had hiked over direct routes which were all closed due to the colossal Rim fire (the second largest in US history) which had scorched a huge amount of land at the western side of Yosemite. It had all started at noon, when I pulled off the main N/S Yosemite highway at the Merced Grove trailhead. It promised a 3 hour round trip hike to the Merced grove of giant Sequoias. I thought I could make it in 2 hours combining jogging with walking. It did rate the hike as moderate due to the uphill coming back. The hike started off on a wide path which then veered off into to the woods promising the Merced grove at 1 mile. I hike through a good trail and did come up to a bunch of markedly larger sequoias. But there was no sign saying this was the Merced Grove. There are only 20 giant Sequoias in the Merced Grove. In any event I was not that impressed and thought there might be even bigger sequoias farther on. I kept walking. The trail got much rougher. I was crawling over big trees which had fallen. I was crawling under big trees. I was fording quick-flowing streams on slippery rocks (this freaked me out, Im scared of fast water, plus Id read park warnings about not doing this; of course I had already ignored the warning about not hiking alone down this path due to mountain lions; mercifully I did follow their advice to carry a walking stick to make me appear more formidable to mountain lions). I came up to a broad path which seemed to lead back the way in which I had come. I didnt want to reford the streams, crawl over and under the trees. I thought, this must be the broad path from which This turned out to be a big mistake. I had hiked west of the main road, so I was going farther away from my car. I also thought, if I go west Ill get out of the national park. This was true. Unfortunately there is little civilization west of Yosemite. I hiked and hiked. The sun went down. Luckily there was a half moon. But the giant trees often blocked the moonlight. luckily I had my walking stick to cautiously probe for fallen branches and rocks in the trail. I startled a big herd of mule deer. I could hear their pounding hoofs and then see them dashing away. I heard the great northern owls. I think it was cows who made loud sounds which scared me half to death. At last I passed some trailers but it was 1 am and there was lots of fence and barking dogs around the trailers. I thought I had to be near the road. There was uphill after uphill. Id walk a few steps, then stop and let my heart and breath slow down. I started sitting on rocks for 2 minutes, then 3 minutes. Finally I stopped waiting for rocks and just laid down flat in the dirt for 8 minutes, for 10 minutes. It was cold, I had only a thin wool shirt and a windbreaker. It reached 38 degres F. I knew I was colc, but I wasnt trembling. passed all kinds of signs of civilization. Surely Ill come to the road. There was nothing I could do; I was in the wilderness, I had to stay on the broad path. Uphill after uophill. Finally I reached pavement. I have to reach the road now. Uphill after uphill. I started passing houses, but it was 2 am, I couldnt stop and ask for help. At 3am I reached a little town. I searched desperately for a concession stand to buy something to drink. I saw big signs which proved I was nowhere near where I thought I was. I only had park maps. They didnt show the towns on the street signs. A car came down the road fast, the first car I had seen. I looked at the car but it went by. Then it turned around. I waved my arms, ran over, and confessed that I had walked for 15 hours without water. Bill Bailey took me in, took me to his house, gave me lots of water and sandwhiches. He had his son move to another be so I could sleep. Then the next morning he took me to my car, which was a 40 minute drive. I had hiked straight west out of the park on direct paths closed to car traffic. I will think twice before doing another hike (especially now since I have blisters and toe nails falling off from my ordeal). And I think I will always appreciate that great blessing water. And yes I did constantly pray as I was struggling along in the wilderness. I found meditating during my rest breaks made them more refreshing (for many years I have practiced Christian medidtation). Other than this, my California vacation has been just great. I dont return till March 23. Im going to death valley, then to San Diego then work myself up the coast. Ill return my rental car in San Francisco on March 17, then fly back to frigid Ottawa on the 23rd (its been in the mid-seventies; Ive been using the air conditioner in my car and room). Its good to be alive, randy
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 05:52:10 +0000
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