San Gorgonio Mountain is 11,502 feet high and so as college students we got the bright Idea of climbing it in winter time with snow shoes. But, the problem with this was I was 21 and the other two were only around 18 years old and not very responsible yet. I was the adult in the room then and used to taking care of others always. These two (at this point) not so much.
So, because of this one factor I almost didn't make it back from this climb.
The problem started because I had borrowed the old fashioned snow shoes from a friend that are made of wood and sinew from deer I believe before people made the metal ones you see now so much. I only had thin rope to tie them on my back and it was cutting into my neck and causing a bruise on my neck so I asked the other two to wait for me a moment while I fixed it. However, they just kept on going while I did this on out of sight.
The problem with them doing this was that there were actually two trails to the top of San Gorgonio and I only knew about one of them so that's the one I took. However, they took the other trail which is why it put me in jeapordy eventually later that day.
I kept expecting to catch up to them or that they would wait and eat lunch or something and I could catch up to them but that never happened. As the day went on I became more and more worried that something wasn't quite right.
I finally summited looking for them around 4 pm because I was responsible but then realized they weren't there and then slid down the face of San Gorgonio mountain because on top it was a 100 mph wind blowing ice and it was cutting my face. I put the plastic I was going to slide down on over my face but that was so loud it was hurting my ears with the 100 mph winds blowing the little pieces of ice into the plastic. But, at least my face wasn't getting chewed up by the blowing ice at such high speed.
Looking back now the problem became serious because we did this in January when there was a lot of snow on the ground which made it almost impossible for me to survive this situation. So, sometimes being the responsible one can get you killed in situations like this one.
I recommend climbing with more mature people that won't get you killed.
So, after I slid down the face of the mountain several thousand feet into the Valley I was no longer on any trail. But at least I wasn't being cut up and frozen by blowing ice at 100 mph.
So, it seemed very peaceful but now I had another problem. It was starting to get dark. And then I suddenly had another problem too. I was exhausted from the ordeal so far of walking 10 miles and now I had to walk another 10 miles out the same day using snow shoes over uneven snow for the most part.
Then I had suddenly an even worse problem. It turns out I was walking on a thin (1 or 2 feet) snow crust over 10 feet high manzanita bushes and the snow broke through, my snow shoes caught on the branches and I was cut up pretty bad on the ironwood and left hanging upside down from my snow shoes. At this point of exhaustion and pain from being cut up by the ironwood and being upside down inside an ironwood bush and cut up I started to cry because I had been through just too much at that point that day.
So, I had to take off my snow shoes while hanging upside down from them inside a 10 foot high manzinita bush with blood running off now my legs and arms from all the pokes of the bushes on all parts of my body. Once I had my snow shoes off I got hurt more falling deeper into the ironwood. Then I had to climb up somehow back up on top of the snow about 10 feet above me now, retrieve my snow shoes and to try to figure out where I could now walk without falling through into another manzanita bush once again. By now it was getting really dark and luckily I have very good night vision so I could survive this.
Since this was a day hike all I had was my warm clothing and food and snow shoes and a couple of small flash lights which became very useful as it got darker. Anyway, I got back to my car and my two "Friends?" had called the Forest service to send out a search party for me and my father was there who drove up from Yucca Valley. I was so pissed off at the whole thing that I made my two Friends? hitchhike home to Palos Verdes because of their almost costing me my life that day.
So, even though all of us summited I almost hadn't made it back. So, what do we learn from this?
Only climb with people who will all take care of each other. Climbing any mountain in the winter time should be a team effort. If one doesn't make it the other two should be at least available to help each other. OR you shouldn't climb in the first place together.
This is the lesson in how to stay alive on your next climb to enjoy it and tell your grand kids one day about it.
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