Mineral King TR

[Ed]

My Raynaud's syndrome scares me, since it is not only very painful, your hands can become completely dysfunctional in a very short time.

I had a fairly new tire collapse and shred a few years ago. Evidently, it is not uncommon. I was very, very fortunate: I was on Interstate 8 in a semi-rural area not far from home around 10am on Saturday, with very light traffic.

My rule of thumb has always been that the hiking/climbing part of the trip should not be more dangerous than the driving. I was driving up Highway 74 this morning in the dark, on the way from Rancho Mirage to Idyllwild. There was a car lying on the side of the road, upside down, with the roof squashed. I had earlier seen what looked like the EMT's driving into Palm Desert, with flashing lights. But they were driving slowly, as though there was no hurry, which I thought was perhaps not a good sign for whoever they were taking in.

[Sally]

I frequently have folks tell me to be careful, and ask me if I am afraid of bears, snakes, getting injured or lost, and weirdos on the trail. I always tell them that the most dangerous part of a hike is on the road, getting to and from the trailhead.