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It was October 1996, my boyfriend Gary and I were on a weekend backpacking date. We planned to hike the Pine Ridge Trail to Sykes Hot Springs near Big Sur. It’s about 20 miles round trip.
Gary and I have been dating for several months. We worked with an environmental engineering company. Everyone was very “kampi” in terms of enjoying the outdoors. We all loved going to the hot springs. This is just one of the locals that everyone wants to check out the list of hikes they’ve done.
It was assumed to be a beautiful, natural hot spring in the middle of nothing. Perfect hippie weekend. Doesn’t that sound romantic? That must have been the case.
Rock-Between is a Los Angeles Times series that shares survival stories from the California wilderness.
I had heard on the news that there was a fire somewhere nearby, as was normal in California at that time. However, it was small and far away, so we weren’t worried.
It must have been a Friday afternoon. We had all the gear and parked in the car park. The hike has a steep first slope and seems endless. It’s all huge redwood and beautiful. There is no vision of the sky. You can either go down the hill or climb up the hill. It’s mainly a straight hike and then you’re mostly there.
But as we were about a mile up this hill, we began to hear this strange sound behind us. A sound that I will never forget.
This “Oh, chacha, oh, chacha.” I don’t know what it is. I can’t see anything.
Continue the hike. Finally, we see this chant coming around the corner behind us on the trail. They wear yellow hard hats and yellow jackets, and are formed by 2 x 2 people. It’s like ten guys, each carrying x and they really have nothing else.
When they came by our side we still had no idea what they were. “Is this a fraternity? Who is this?” Only when they overtook us it was they realised that these were firefighters climbing the same hill.
When they came over us, that’s when they said, “You’re heading towards the fire zone. We’re going in that direction. We should probably leave.”
We looked at each other, we saw them, they overtook us. They stopped for a very long time to tell us that. We hesitated. I wanted to see Sykes!
What if I see a wildfire on a hike?
But instead, we [hike back]. There are a lot of fire trucks, a lot of people, and a lot of people like us. And it wasn’t just the people on the Sykes Hot Spring Strail. There are many very popular campsites nearby. I think there was a big basin there.
We were at the campsite for a while and they were there [announce] They are taking us to Pfeiffer Beach.
So we installed what felt like 100 other campers at Pfeiffer Beach and a sleeping bag.
Then, around 3am, we woke up again, announcing that we had to leave this area, we were using it for staging, and we woke up with a blow horn. ”
They gave us a new destination to evacuate the fire and wait for the fire. The first thought from the firefighter was, “We can control it and leave in an hour.” And, “We can control it and you can leave tonight. [Then] We control it and you can leave tomorrow. And it was, “No, you’re going to have to leave this area.” ”
But that was after 3am and the girls in this city were finished. We drove to the motel and it could have been the end of our relationship. We were tired and annoyed, but this was a hiking trip from hell. We have never seen a fire. We never smelled it.
I wouldn’t have done it now. As I age, I am even more wise.
Wildfires are very scary. [Fire] Move, it moves quickly. Here in LA, we have a fire app and an air quality app. Now, the moment you sent me back, I would have given up. This was not just us, “No, are you trying to do it at all costs?” There were a lot of people there. We all had this mindset. We just wait for it. ”
If there is a fire, stay at home. Not only for your own safety, but also for your firefighters.
Gary and I are still friends. We talk once a year and we always talk about this hike. Neither of us have tried again to Sykes since. Maybe someday! However, the water wasn’t as high as it was back then. It was a moment and I missed it.
[We] We are honored by this experience and laugh at our stupidity. We lived in camp on another day.Marjorie Almer lives in LA and manages the family’s property. She enjoys swimming and surfing in the ocean, playing guitar and practicing yoga. She dreams of one day planning yoga and guitar retreats.
Are there any California wilderness survival stories? We look forward to hearing from you. Share your close encounters here.
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