[pct-l] Hikers over Yosemite falls

[Emily]

> Yep, I'll be the first to recount my last stupid decision that nearly cost me. Coming back down the snow covered slope of the famous 99 switchbacks on Mt Whitney we could see where someone had glissaded down. <

When I hiked Whitney in early October of 2005, the 99 switchbacks were slick with hard-packed snow in spots.  Traversing the last few switchbacks as we climbed to the pass was slow and a bit scary.  A man I spoke to on the way up the mountain decided to glissade down instead of hiking the switchbacks.  He got out of control, hit rocks at the bottom of his run-out, and died.

My friends and I crept carefully down the slippery switchbacks while watching a SAR helicopter try to land to recover the man's body.  (We did not know at that time exactly what had happened, or that the man had died, but we could see him from above and he wasn't moving.  Because it was windy, the SAR helicopter wasn't able to land until the next day.)

I've definitely made some dumb decisions while hiking.  Looking back on it now, I think the conditions on that Whitney climb itself were risky for me, given my experience level at that time. 

Glad you made it down safely, Greg.

Emily