Mt. San Jacinto Outdoor Recreation

A hiker almost lost an arm on one of the Mt Baldy trails
http://www.bakersfield.com/119/story/249623.html

Yipes!

Remind me to turn back if my hiking partners ever show up with a sword.

From the SGWA Board

To set the record straight . . .

Posted by Kandy on October 2, 2007, 9:45:27, in reply to "YIKES!"
209.232.147.100

This story has taken on a life of its own and has almost become an urban legend. I called the Baldy Visitor's Center this morning. This incident did NOT take place on any hiking trail as reported in the media. It happened in the Bear-Stoddard area below Baldy Village. The folks at the Center are rather amused by the "tweaked" information (or lack of?).

Hey, maybe we can make a "hikers gone wild" video ...

I sure picked a lousy week to join this board!

Swords and bats.

Does anyone know where the "Bear-Stoddard area" is? I don't know any place by that name.

I do not know where the "Bear-Stoddard" area is, but it is beocming increasingly clear that this is not a hiking story in the usual sense. Some guys hiked to someone's cabin. I hiked along a highway once when my car broke down. I have experienced tax hikes. Some people think I should take a hike.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... &cset=true

From the Los Angeles Times
Friends' hike ends with sword-wielding brawl
By Ari B. Bloomekatz
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

11:59 AM PDT, October 1, 2007

What started as a Sunday hike in the San Gabriel Mountains among friends turned into a violent brawl involving a sword and pepper spray.

Police said 26-year-old Wesley Brockway, of Ontario, hiked to a friend's cabin near Mt. Baldy at about 3:30 p.m. with another friend. Soon after arriving, a fight ensued among the three men.

"One of the hikers had a sword and apparently the three of them fought for control of the sword," said Lt. Roxanna Hart of the L.A. County sheriff's station in San Dimas.

Authorities said pepper spray was also used in the fight, though Hart said police have not yet recovered the weapons involved.

The resident of the cabin was taken to a nearby hospital where he remains with serious injuries to his arm.

Brockway was arrested soon after the brawl and charged with attempted murder. He is being held in lieu of $30,000 bail.

ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com

Yeah, big "hike," all the way from the car to the front door of the cabin. Must have taken hours. Like all of 0.1 hours. Hope they brought their "10 essentials:"
sword
baseball bat
mace
...

You know, the usual.