- 6/11/2022:
My niece Helen was invited to Yosemite Half Dome and Mount Whitney. So she asked me if I could helped her train for them. As a loving uncle, I can't just say no. So, Helen decided to get a permit to hike up San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek. Helen invited her high school best friend Ha Tien along. This was Helen's and Ha Tien's first time hiking on the Vivian Creek trails. This would be my second time. During that week and days leading up to our planned San Gorgonio hike, there was a high heat wave warning. Helen's and Ha Tien's hiking group VHC (Vietnamese Hiking Community) was also hiking up to San Gorgonio that same day, but they were using the South Fork trailhead. Lisa, VHC leader, had three available spots on her permit. For our safety, Lisa asked us to join her. We decided to do so. Besides, Helen and Ha Tien could socialized with their friends in VHC.
We started at 5 a.m. Both Helen and Ha Tien had mild AMS starting off. We took many breaks and hiked it up slowly. The weather was cool. Knowing that it would be hot, I dressed lightly and brought 6 liters of water. This was my first time here after the wildfire from last year. I was sad to see the destruction that the fire had caused.
Slowly, we crept up to San Gorgonio Peak. The other VHC members waited for us to take a group photo. We ate our lunch and head down. Helen's AMS symptoms were getting worse. She was vomiting and very sluggish. Ha Tien and I kept a close eye on her. We hiked down very slowly and took many breaks. We finally made it by to our cats without any incident. Thank God.
Responses