Running on fumes from a demanding climb and dealing with the physical effects of altitude mixed with having exhausted their stock of water, two California men concluded death could be imminent when they called for
Longtime friends and hiking partners Thomas Ferrara, 30, and Eric Hall, 28, both of Bakersfield, met in Colorado for the holiday weekend in the hopes of a successful trek up the popular Summit County 14er’s West Ridge.
The class-three (of five) route traverses more than 2,600 feet of elevation gain over a 2-mile ascent and requires nimble scrambling while overcoming considerable exposure.
The two described themselves as “moderately experienced” after a number of past climbs at Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks and the surrounding areas.
The Rockies might pose a bigger challenge, but they did their research and departed with their usual cold-weather gear — layers, mountaineer boots, crampons, ice axes and rope — but following a harrowing rescue acknowledged that unexpected conditions and perhaps a hastily planned trip got the best of them.
“We weren’t expecting what we ran into,” said Ferrara, who works in sales. “We knew from the conditions I suppose that avalanche was a possibility, and that’s I think mostly why we made the call. But we were assessing our situation and we thought an incident could be very likely here. We didn’t want to die.”
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