San Diego Hiker is Third to Die in a Month on SoCal Trail

NBC Los Angeles ^ | Feb 21, 2016 | Heather Navarro

[sparklite2]

I used to hike the Cougar Crest trail around Gold mountain but not the San Gabriels. I did take Jeep Cherokee off road there, though, and almost bottomed out on rocks before, wisely, getting back out of there.

[Oatka]

Of course if you fall that far, you probably won't feel it.

Some old hiker advised that if you are in that situation:
1) Flap your arms, you've got nothing to lose.
2) Yell on the way down so they know where to find your body.

[Hugin]

More likely slid, rolled and bounced 1,000 feet.

[Gamecock]

Was a cell phone involved?

[PAR35]

George Soros doesn’t have enough money to pay me to walk that.

[moovova]

That’s beautiful, but I’ll hang in the souvenir shop and buy the pretty postcards.

[RetiredTexasVet]

Probably need to institute background checks .... background checks save lives (hey, not my idea, just echoing what people with a lot of degrees say)!

[Peter ODonnell]

They say these are accidents but when you consider the names:

** drowned in Washing Machine Rapids
** fell off the Footwide Trail on Razor’s Edge Ridge
** drove off a curve on Devil’s Blind Curve Switchback Road
** skied off a cliff on the Skull and Crossbones Trail
** died of heat prostration in Death Valley

The list goes on. These names were meant to help people to stay alive, don’t you think?

[who knows what evil?]

Look a bit like Maine’s ‘Knife Edge’, but not as steep or narrow.

[DesertRhino]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFvG3WUsGTI

The trail. Not much room for error, but not insane.

[Osage Orange]

They should ban trails...........!!!

[ozzymandus]

I always wonder how much taxpayer money was wasted on these idiots.

[goldstategop]

Accidental deaths are preventable.

Some people like to live life on the edge and that comes with the territory.

[Osage Orange]

Guard rails???

LOL!!

[Moonman62]

Perhaps he had vertigo or passed out and then tumbled down. I don’t think it was a free fall.

[Osage Orange]

I skied MT. Baldy a few times...

Every year someone..seemed to die up there...going out of boundaries.

[Moonman62]

I’m not that adventurous.

....

Here I am with my butt planted in front of the computer, outliving all the extreme sport types. I’m starting to feel immortal like Keith Richards.

[MarchonDC09122009]

There’s been an exceptional amount of snow and ice on the upper trail elevations of Mt Baldy and other 10,000+ foot mountains in the San Gabriel and San Bernadino mts.
The picture you featured is called Mt Baldy’s “The Devils Backbone”.
The ice currently there is bad, and the trail width in no more that 12 inches wide.
Suicide without at least microspike crampons and poles.
Our experience has been only 1 in 3 have / use microspikes & poles.
When you stop these winter hikers, they are utterly clueless.
The only thing to can do is bitch them out for endangering rescue workers to haul their body out, and ask them who they’d like to give contact info out in advance to notify next of kin.
Reckless jerks.

[ThomasThomas]

Most of the trail was paved and you push a wheel chair to the last about the last 500 ft.

[Osage Orange]

Pussy...

I'd do it for Clinton money...

Oh...wait..I've hiked trails like that already!!