High Sierra Topix

It just dawned on me today that I could have posted on this site as soon as I was off the Mountain.....July 5th, my daughter and I began our hike up to Mt. Whitney. Just a couple of miles into the hike, we ran into a man and woman who were helping an injured hiker get to the Portal. He was completely disoriented, couldn't answer any questions, including providing his name, he was wet, extremely cold, had no shoe (the kind woman gave him her sock), was a bit bloodied, meaning his hands looked as if they had been bleeding (raw from scrapes or something), and same with his face. He looked as if he took quite a tumble in a area where there was water. Don't know if he was suffering from hypothermia, shock from whatever happened to him, dehydration, or all of the above. We were able to call for help, wrap an emergency blanket around him, and fill his CamelBak with water. The amazingly kind man and woman continued walking him down the trail. My daughter and I have been wondering about the man's condition - we assume he was taken care of fairly quickly, and we hope and pray everything turned out well for him. If this scenario sounds familiar to anyone, and they would care to share any info, I'd greatly appreciate it. I guess I just want to hear that he is doing well. Poor guy! You know, the media goes out of their way to expose all the negativity that goes on around us; it's always so nice to hear stories about people's acts of kindness such as the couple that helped the man down to safety. I know I'll never see them again, but I hope they know how greatly appreciated they are and how honorable it was for them to help the man seek the help he needed. So, wherever you are - thank you!

Well, if you had been the victim, you wouldn't talk about it out of embarrassment. And if you had been the helpful people, you wouldn't have wanted to seem like you were bragging.

I've helped many, many people - usually lost or looking for a lost friend - on the trail by sharing water, food, map or by suggesting their next course of action (go tell a ranger, stay in the last location you saw him, whatever is appropriate). There really is no mechanism to report such things. Sometimes I talk about it with hiking groups to help them understand that things happen on trail all the time - it's not just getting off trail that gets you in trouble, you still need to be oriented and aware of where you are all the time....

And helpful people preventing catastrophe doesn't sell papers. As you were aware....

Hikers are a great group of people, generally. I figure that things I do to help other people are just the right thing to do - I would hope to get help if I needed it, I help others when the opportunity presents. It's the way it should be.

I hope the guy got contact info so he could thank the couple. There have been occasions when I wanted to thank someone and couldn't because I was too caught up to get that information.

I understand what you are saying, and yes, some of the nicest people are those I meet on trail. Always willing to lend a helping hand. Courteous. Sounds as if you are among them. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I like to think I would do the same, and think nothing extraordinary about it. It is just ' the thing to do'.

I carry a small supply of tools and spare parts in my RV, and it seems I am frequently giving them to someone else, a fellow camper, trying to make a quick field repair. I believe I have given more away than I have used myself.

In those situations a cold beer is legal currency.