On Could 20, 2016, my spouse and I visited Yosemite Nationwide Park. Earlier than we set out on a path, I talked to a park ranger. I instructed her that I used to be on the lookout for an image of water reflecting the timber.
The ranger, a third-generation Yosemite worker, said that Lukens Lake was probably the most lovely locations within the park.
“I think you get the best views in the park,” she mentioned.
Freeway 120 had opened the day earlier than, and it was solely a one-mile hike from the highway-adjacent trailhead to the lake.
We’d been to Yosemite earlier than. At the moment, I used to be residing in Lengthy Seashore in a high-rise on Ocean Boulevard. I had an airplane and I flew us into Mariposa-Yosemite Airport. We rented a four-wheel drive van and stayed in Mariposa. The subsequent day, we drove over and hiked to the lake.
Between a Rock is a Los Angeles Occasions collection that shares survival tales from the California wilderness.
We most likely acquired there round 9 a.m. It simply appeared like a easy little stroll. We had correct apparel and day packs. I checked the climate. There was nothing within the forecast that day. It was good. It was cool. In Yosemite Valley, it was most likely within the higher 40s.
Because the morning wore on, the clouds coated the sky. It acquired grey and darkish. The sunshine was excellent for pictures. And it began to snow. It was a kind of storms the mountains generate. The snow was coming down thick and in massive flakes. We acquired 5 inches in about 40 minutes. I spent about two hours taking photographs across the lake.
“It just seemed like a simple little walk. We had proper attire and day packs. I checked the weather. There was nothing in the forecast that day. “
I got lost in the photography. It was just so beautiful, you didn’t want to leave. But, we got hungry. We only had a snack bar with us, and we had left a couple days’ worth of food in the car.
But our trail had disappeared. About noon was our first attempt to hike out. The hike in was about 10 minutes. We hiked for an hour and found no outlet.
Lukens Lake is a short hike from Highway 120, or Tioga Road.
(Tom Setterlund)
When we headed out from the lake, we kept going straight. We took three different paths, but we were still probably half a mile from the road. We didn’t remember dog legging coming out. You’re headed down the trail one place, and all of a sudden, it makes a 30-degree turn to your left. We didn’t remember the big turn.
I knew there was going to be snow on the ground, and I thought if people go there, there’d be a trail on the ground, but I didn’t think through that next day. We knew the road was due south of where we were, but there was no sun. You couldn’t tell where south was.
The last time we tried, I was exhausted coming back and was falling down. We decided it wasn’t safe to keep trying. It was getting dark.
We cleared out an area under a tree where there was not as much snow and rested.
It was somewhere in the low 20s. We had a couple of the Mylar sheets, which I now know how to use. We wrapped them around ourselves, but they didn’t work because we were covered in snow. We were wet. Instead of reflecting warmth, they were just reflecting the cold. To use them correctly, you need to take your clothes off and put them against your body. We would shiver until our bodies got a little warm and then fall asleep, and then wake up because we were cold, and then shiver again and fall back to sleep.
I carry several fire starting tools, but I thought we were over 10,000 feet, where no fires are allowed. I have read about people in survival situations being prosecuted for making a fire.
I thought somebody would see our car at the trailhead, but we hadn’t gotten a permit for the hike because it was just a day hike. To stay there overnight, you need a permit.
What had happened in that storm, unbeknownst to us, is that Highway 120 had been closed again because of ice — nobody was going to see our car. I’ve since realized no one would care anyway unless you told somebody outside the park, and they start calling and said, “Hey, they haven’t checked back in,” or acquired a allow.
The subsequent morning was sunny and we hiked out. As soon as we noticed the highway, we knew we had been protected. The automobile was filled with meals, and we sat inside and ate for an hour. I don’t keep in mind what we ate, nevertheless it was scrumptious.
Lukens Lake is a brief hike from Freeway 120, or Tioga Highway.
(Tom Setterlund)
On the highway 50 yards away was a automobile the wrong way up on its hood. The roads had been all fully iced up, snowed over and closed. The primary individual we noticed was the snow plow driver, and he instructed us there have been a pair wrecks arising. Folks had been flying up there, considering “Whoo, the 120 is open! I can get to the coast!” There was clearly no warning to them that there was ice on the highway.
The rental van was four-wheel drive, however I creeped. I used to be going 5 mph down that highway, hoping I didn’t slide off of it. Additional on, I ran right into a park ranger, after which he realized he was the one one who had a key to unlock the gates. He mentioned, “I’m glad you guys made it out. It’d be a while before someone found you.”
I had made loads of security assumptions that weren’t legitimate. It made me notice that, if I’m going to hike within the backcountry, I’ve to do it in a safer method.
I knew we had parked north of the lake. I had regarded on the path map, however I didn’t have a compass on me. I didn’t have any of the issues I carry at the moment. I now use an app to trace my location that works offline utilizing satellites, and I personal a Garmin GPS emergency machine.
I needed to change my method to being outside. I began studying much more, I began carrying much more. There’s no one coming to save lots of you. Perhaps they’ll search for a corpse in every week.
When it comes right down to it, you will need to stroll out.
Tom Setterlund is a retired security engineer who spends his time backcountry motorcycling, totally on hearth roads within the San Bernardino Nationwide Forest. He additionally enjoys touring together with his pop-up camper wherever the highway leads. His retelling is edited for size and readability.
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