National Park After Dark - Survivor(wo)man: Sequoia National Park

Episode Date: June 3, 2024

A long awaited 200+ mile trip through the Sierra’s ends in a tragic fall. Jean Muenchrath’s story of survival is an epic one, but also serves as the beginning of an entirely new life.All proceeds of Jean’s book are donated to charity - pick up a copy of If I Live Until Morning HERE and learn more about Jean Muenchrath HEREFor a full list of our sources, visit npadpodcast.com/episodesFor the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials:Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdarkTikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdarkSupport the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!Thank you to this week’s partners!Earth Breeze: Use our link to get 40% off your subscription. IQBAR: Text PARK to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products and free shipping. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Monday AI agents took over my work. And I absolutely love it. Chasing deadlines, writing status reports, updating stakeholders. Agents handle the daily grind now. They live inside Monday.com. So they see the full picture, my work, my team, the whole company. And I don't have to worry about the data. It's safe, which means I'm free to focus on the big stuff,

knowing everything runs smoothly in the background. It's completely shifted the way we work. Create your own AI agent in minutes on Monday.com. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. Off campus, L, every year after, the love hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more.

Slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime. centuries and throughout most of human history, people have been enthralled by the concept of fate. Generally accepted as the idea that a person's life path has been predetermined by some outside source, the specifics have changed over time. Ancient civilizations, such as the Greeks and the Romans, viewed fate as a result of deities, orchestrating the details of every human's life, a process which was explained through myths and stories. The notion that each one of the

of our lives follows a predetermined course is not accepted by all, at least not all of the time. Many of us choose to believe we create our own destinies through free will and choices, while others argue we are only under the illusion that free will is in our hands, that ultimately we were fated to make those exact decisions either way. Those who do subscribe to the idea of fate or embrace that some of our life is preordained tend to glean some positive of effects such as developing resilience, becoming more self-aware, hopeful, and gratuitous. This is easy when fate works out in our favor. For example, you are faded to get lost one day to be turned around and brought to a coffee shop where you were then seated next to a stranger who just happened to strike up a conversation, which led to a first date, then a second, and ultimately a happy marriage. It's easy to fall back on It was meant to be, it was faded,

years ahead of moments like this when it all turns out for the better. But what happens when those faded moments, conversations, turning left versus right, running late or running early, sets events into motion that alter the course of your life in a not-so-welcome way? What happens when one conversation turned your life upside down and almost ends it? Welcome to National Park After Dark. I love your intros. They're so thought-present.

provoking. Thank you. I like to get deep with them. Yeah, you do. I enjoy them. I really like them. Thank you very much. It's like my favorite part of putting the story together. And I don't know how your process is, but for me, I do like a first sweep of research, whether it's through articles or documentary or the book or whatever. And then in my mind, I see it coming together and I write the intro first. Oh, I write it last. Oh, okay. Interesting. So we're off. Yeah. I usually have a good idea of like how I want to present the material and the introduction just kind of takes form first for that way. Yeah. That makes sense. I can see that. I feel like part of why they're so fun to write is because all of our episodes are so informationally based and they're all,

they're things that happened and our intros are like the way that we can become creative. Yes, exactly. Like our episodes are factual based and there's nothing that we can add to them to change them because we're not going to change the story. We're just reporting on events, you know. So I totally get what you meant. Like it's a create, it's our only opportunity to put in our own creativity into it. So that's probably why I do it first because I love that so much. Yeah, that's like your bread and butter. Interesting. I never thought about it that way. Well, okay. Yeah. So welcome to National Park After Dark. Thank you. Happy to be here. Thank you so much for your time. Is that for me? Yeah. Today I have a story for you that's based on a book. So another book recommendation today. The book that this story is based off of is If I Live Until Morning by Gene Muntrath. So got another book for you. Love it. We don't have anything to say. I don't think other than hi. You're welcome. Yeah. I just have to say I'm excited for this episode. I've known it's been coming for a long time. I don't know the story. I haven't read the book. So I'm very excited to hear it.

Alrighty. So as my introduction alluded to, a faded conversation led to where our story kind of begins. Gene Muntrath was 19 years old in 1979 when she attended a weekend rock climbing outing with the San Diego State University's Recreation Club. It was her first year at college and she was eager to be involved with the club and their various offerings. Growing up in the Denver, Colorado area, Jean's family wasn't overly outdoorsy, but they did their fair share. of camping and fishing as one does around these parts. The time in the mountains she loved the most, though, was spent downhill skiing. That was kind of her favorite activity. She grew up in the state with dreams that shifted as the years went by, everything from

becoming an astronaut, being a world traveler, to working in law enforcement, ultimately entering university to pursue a criminal justice degree. That changed quickly, though, especially after her cousin accepted a position as a U.S. National Park Ranger in Denali. She actually went along for the ride to Alaska to see him off for his position. And that's when things kind of hit her. She too could live and work in beautiful places and get a job or some sort of employment in the national park system and have these opportunities at her feet as well. And so that's what she went with.

So when she returned to San Diego, she changed her major to reflect her new path, focusing on resource management and environmental geography. and then went along to take some seasonal positions that matched that new path. She wasn't friends with or even familiar with everyone on the rock climbing trip. So when she found herself in a conversation with a young, quiet, and kind man with soft brown eyes and curly dark hair named Ken, she was intrigued. He asked her what she had done the previous summer, just kind of like making small talk because this is early on in the year. and Jean excitedly shared that she had worked at a lodge in Yellowstone National Park, and she highlighted the fun that she had that summer hiking and camping and fishing and all the fun things that she did on her off time. Smiling, he told her that he had spent his summer backpacking the entirety of the John Muir Trail.

And Jean's ears perked up and her eyes widened when he told her that because that was the exact plan that she had wanted to do as well. but because of some circumstances, she ended up opting for that Yellowstone position instead at the very last minute. So these two people, who had no connection prior, had the same exact plans for the same period of time. So she was like, huh, that's interesting. Yeah. Funny meeting you here. The story is a bit different regarding the focus of a particular park as we normally do, because the trip that I'm going to kind of present to you today takes them eventually through several national parks, national monuments.

National Forests and of course National Scenic Trails. So to first focus on the trail that we are primarily focusing on is the John Muir Trail. The JMT is 211 miles long and runs mostly in conjunction with the PCTs of the Pacific Crest Trail, which is a National Scenic Trail, as we've discussed prior. Named after the famous 19th century naturalist and conservationist, John Muir, it begins at the Happy Isles Trailhead in Yosemite Valley and runs to the summit of Mount Whitney. Many visitors and backpackers contest that this trail that winds through some of the most beautiful scenic vistas the U.S. has to offer is one of the best trails that the U.S. has, period. The trail runs through portions of John Muir in Ansel Adams Wildernesses, Inyo and Sequoia National Forests and Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks.

Permits to hike this trail have become harder and harder to get your hands on as popularity for this trail has grown in an effort to limit the crowds of, the trail and in an effort to protect the environment. It's run on a permit system now. And where you get that permit varies on where you actually start the trail. Some are given out by national parks, while others are given out through like the recreation.gov website. And you kind of just have to put your name in and hope. Hope for the best like we did for Haftum. Yeah. And we're unsuccessful. I think that's the only, I think, I take that back. I think the only time I put in my name for a lottery system or a permit system. There's a trail or a hike in Washington that Ian and I wanted to do the enchantments that you have to do. You can day use parts of it, but to like overnight it,

you have to have a permit. And we put in for one once and that was it. But other than that in half dome, I haven't really had much experience with crossing my fingers and hoping I get something. Yeah. I would, I know the Havasupai waterfall. You need a permit for that and one day I would like to do that. Oh, put in for it. Yeah. Yeah. Ken, who had done the GMT, like I said, the summer prior, had gotten that idea from one of his idols, Orland Bartholomew. He was also known as Bart and he worked as a snow surveyor in the 1920s and that work required him to traverse throughout the Sierra Nevada range in the winter. But Bart couldn't get enough of the Sierra's and planned to be the first documented man to solo ski traverse the Sierra's

and end with a winter ascent to the summit of Mount Whitney. His extraordinary feat was meticulously planned and took several months, and it's an entire other side story in and of itself. There's a book called High Odyssey, written in part from his personal diaries that cover this grand adventure and much more and things like that. But Ken had read that book, High Odyssey, and wanted to follow in Bart's footsteps, ski tracks. You know, he wanted to do what his idol had done.

Yeah, was inspired. by his plans. Despite the initial flash of connection that Gene and Ken shared, their friendship didn't really take off as quickly. After the trip, Ken and Gene rarely crossed paths on campus, and when they did, the conversations were brief and somewhat awkward. Several months passed, and Ken and Gene found themselves on another student outing with the recreation club, and this time it was a ski trip, which is obviously a favorite for both of them. They ended up pairing off and chatted about the book High Odyssey, which Gene had since read based on Ken's recommendation, and they found themselves bonding on that particular trip. Ken's bashful and reserved

outer shell began to melt, revealing his true nature. He had a great sense of humor, a kind heart, he was ambitious, intelligent, and a gifted athlete. He was dedicated not only in his mathematics studies, but also to sports such as running, whitewater rafting, and long-distance bicycling. Wow. Yeah. So cool. It's like, what can't you do? People like that are so cool. I know. Yeah.

I have Chaska's, so I bring one of my dogs Chaska to physical therapy every single week. His PT is, she's definitely like a triathlete. You know the body type too. Like you can spot them a mile away. You're like, you're so fit. Yeah. And just in like passing conversations and stuff throughout the months, I picked up bits and pieces. And like the other day when I was there, I had the first appointment at like,

I don't know, 8.39 in the morning. And she's like, yeah, this morning during my swim, I or whatever, I'm like, right. Right. I've been awake for 30 minutes. I know. And her car has like a bike rack and she's always talking about like going out in the mountains and stuff. And yeah, she's cool. Just like no, she's really cool. Yeah. She knows it. Girl, winter is so last season. And now Springs got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes. Your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs. You're thirsty for the sun on your shoulders.

That perfect hang on the patio sundress. Those sandals you can wear all day and all night. And you've had enough of shopping from your couch. Done hoping it looks anything like the picture when you tear up on that envelope. It's time for a little in-person spring treat. It's time for a trip to Ross. Work your magic. Things changed between Ken and Jean after that ski trip.

They started to grow closer. They visited each other's home. homes, they went on skiing, hiking, and rafting trips that they organized just themselves, like just apart from the recreation group. And their time together took a pause only when Gene accepted a position as a backcountry ranger for Glacier National Park. Her placement in the backcountry cabin, 15 miles from the nearest road, didn't exactly bode well for constant communication with Ken.

But at the end of the summer, after leaving his job at a lab, he went to visit and spent the last part of the summer in Jean's rustic. one-room cabin. They cherished that time and Jean loved her position in the backcountry. And she even counted the amount of people she saw throughout that entire summer and the number barely reached past 50. Wow. So she was really out there and remote. And she loved it. She was all about it. Sounds great. After their time in the glacier backcountry, the pair now officially a couple, moved in together upon their return to San Diego. And they began planning their biggest adventure yet. One they dubbed the 1982 Trans-Cierra Cross Country Ski Expedition.

It reflected their first conversation. The trip would cover some of the most rugged terrain in the lower 48 states, stretching between Yosemite Valley and Mount Whitney. There would be some detours to pick up food caches, but the route would consist of 223 miles through snow on skis, ascending 48,000 vertical feet and descending another 43,600 feet, crossing 14 high altitude passes, the majority of which lie along the John Muir Trail, with a grand finale of climbing the highest peak in the contiguous United States, which is Mount Whitney. This plan took years of careful and meticulous planning, including years honing their ski skills

using the Cascades, Mount Rainier, Crater Lake, and the Sierra's backcountry as their training grounds. While at home, their fitness and nutrition routines were kept as regimented as possible. while they continued on with working towards their degrees and taking seasonal positions within the National Park Service. After graduation, they had the opportunity to really hone in on the nitty-gritty details of their journey, including route planning, gear choices, down to the caloric intake necessary for each and every day,

depending on which part of the journey they were going to be on. They spent nights baking homemade trail snacks to add to their dehydrated packaged meals while pouring over the tiny green and white lines of the USGS Quadrant maps that covered their living room floor. So when all is said and done, by their estimates, the entire journey would take them about a month. Before beginning their official trip, Ken and Gene took a separate trip along their route to drop off their four food caches. Large drums fully secured with a note left in each pleading others to not eat their food,

and they dropped them off at four separate locations, including a remote lodge, a secluded forest service station, and along parts of their route in the mountains. And I do want to say that this practice is like nowadays is prohibited. It's a big no-no. Food drops, whether in the wilderness or in bear lockers along the John Muir Trail, is not allowed. And when they, when rangers do find what they believe are food caches for this reason, they are confiscated. So don't do it. That's good to know.

After returning to San Diego, the waiting began. Record winter snowpack in the Sierra's and heavy spring rains thwarted their original plans and delayed their start as Yosemite National Park closed due to the weather and various rock slides. After their brief delay, their journey officially began on April 14th, a month behind schedule. They later eventually be thankful for this inconvenience. It turns out that the snowpack in Yosemite during this time was 225% more than average. So leaving earlier than April 14th would have posed a significantly higher risk to the already high threats of avalanches. So at first they were like, this actually works out in our favor, even though it was kind of an inconvenience at first. Carefully writing their names in the backcountry log in Yosemite, Ken and Gene set off.

All of the years of planning suddenly became a whole lot of doing. Both Gene and Ken were familiar with the area, not based solely on their intense study of it, but from previous shorter excursions. that they had taken, like I just described. They had spent years preparing for this. Their first day was, quote-unquote, easy. That is how Gene described it. What's easy mean? According to her.

So Gene carried an 80-pound pack, 13 miles, and over 4,500 vertical feet before her and Ken made camp near Lake Tenaya. So easy-peasy. Easy- breezy cover girl. She's doing it. thriving. She's like, oh, if it's going to be like this, it's no biggie. The days unfolded as they settled into a routine. Skiing throughout the day through places like Tuolami Meadows and Donahue Pass, constantly assessing avalanche dangers, setting up their winter camps, hanging their food and cooking

their dinners just outside of their tent flap before snuggling into their sleeping bags as temperatures dipped into the 10 degrees. They listened to coyote yips at night and woke to their tracks in the snow. reveled in determining which prince belonged to what Yosemite creatures. They went on like this for several days, leaving the boundaries of Yosemite National Park in making their way into Devil's Postpipe National Monument and then onwards into the Sierra National Forest. Stopping at the Tamarack Lodge for a night in a actual bed and to pick up one of their food caches and to reload on various essentials like moleskin and more sunscreen. The stark contrast of going from the near complete isolation to one.

one of the busiest ski resorts in the state was a little bit jarring for both of them. Jean made a call to her parents to update them on their progress, and she says in our book, quote, I suspect they had no idea of what involved skiing through these rugged mountains. Perhaps it was better that way. Like our parents would be very scared for us if they knew what we were doing. So let's just not mention the details. Everything's great. Super easy. Weather is great. Terrain is so safe.

It's so unbelievably safe. wouldn't even believe it. Their endeavor was physically and at times psychologically challenging. 11 plus hours of intense skiing, river crossings, navigating through avalanche debris, and fluctuating snow conditions, ascents and descents filled each one of their days while setting up camp and giving their best attempts to stay warm filled their nights. But that is what they had spent years preparing for. Like this kind of, as I'm describing it, I feel like some, for some people, this is like a

nightmare. Day after day, like just work a lot of physical exertion. But for them, like, this is what they had dreamed of, and they were now finally doing it. They spent hours with their legs burning, only to laugh joyfully glissading when available. Their lips blistered in the intense sun, reflecting off of the surrounding snow, and they chattered their jaws during nippy nights. Countless hours of preparation and several side scout trips had served as the foundation to this trip, And Gene wasn't exactly surprised by what each day had in store. But rather, she was surprised what her inner voice began telling her. Something terrible is going to happen on this trip.

Oh, that's not a good voice to have in your head. Especially about something that rationally, you're like, I have spent years of my life preparing for this and looking forward to this. And I'm enjoying. But then to have that gut feeling and voice in your mind, like that's really jarring. Yeah. Just a week into their trip, she began hearing this thought on repeat. And she didn't know when, she didn't know how this something terrible would happen,

but she felt it deeply and it began pestering her thoughts intermittently throughout the day on and off. You know, as the days unfolded, it wasn't a constant thing, but it was definitely present. At first, she didn't know whether this was fear or intuition, and because of that, she did not confide and can about it. Gene remarks in her book, quote, I wish I had listened to it. There is wisdom in paying attention to the inner knowing of a gut feeling. Seven days into the trip, Ken and Gene had already blazed through a full third of their route. Although they hadn't seen anyone in days,

there had been evidence of other adventurers in the form of several sets of ski tracks. So they haven't seen anyone physically, but they know that people are still bopping around just like they are. And by the time they reached the approximate location of their second of four food caches, conditions made the couple pause. Retrieving it would mean a significantly long and potentially dangerous detour just because of the current conditions of the area. But continuing on without it meant that they would have to reach their third cache much faster than originally anticipated if they were going to skip this one. And of course, they'd run the risk of running out of supplies if they did decide to make that decision.

Yeah. And if that's their food and they're exerting themselves so much every day, they need those calories. Right. After some back and forth deliberating, they decided to forego the second cache, promising to retrieve it in the fall when they swung back around. Continuing on into Kings Canyon National Park, they were astounded to encounter two skiers. They chatted briefly, and it turns out the skiers had just covered the same route. Ken and Gene needed to cover to retrieve third food cash. The skiers gave them some helpful information about the current conditions and sent the pair off with well wishes. The next few days were full of trekking through some of the most awe-inspiring scenery Gene had ever witnessed. The backcountry of King's Canyon was truly unmatched, but she and Ken welcomed a few days

camping near the historic Glacier Hotel. The lower elevation meant that camping amongst newly sprouting wildflowers and exposed soil rather than hardened snow, and the proximity to civilization made for an eagerly anticipated change-up in food options. They went for, you know, some actual meals. Yeah, from dried food to actually cooked meals. Yep. It's a nice change.

So for a little while, they camped near the hotel, but then they actually checked into the lodge for a warm bed and a shower, and they took the time to rest and fix up their worn and damaged gear. They used the phone to touch base with family and were informed that they had both been given their assignments for the next season, and they were absolutely elated to learn that they had both landed positions at Mount Rainier National Park together. Oh, cool. rare, I think, because they're not married, you know, and they kind of just taking assignments where they're available. So to get to land two jobs together at the same park is nice. And Gene was

stoked. Working in the dry desert of the Colorado National Monument the year before had its benefits, but a position in the Pacific Northwest would be an exciting change. With their expedition going smoothly and ahead of schedule and with the knowledge of their dream jobs lined up for the summer, Ken and Jean filled their bellies with a nice dinner and dessert at the lodge, collected their third food cash, and drifted off to sleep. After a large pancake breakfast, the couple set off for the backcountry around midday. The days unfolded and brought their highs and lows, more scenic vistas, onspiring moments, and moments of frustration, including sustaining more damage to their already worn down gear. They collected their last food cash, skied past the 175 mile mark of their journey,

passing a wooden sign barely poking out of the snow cover that read entering Sequoia National Park. They were at top Forrester Pass, coming in at 13,200 feet. In that moment, Jean marveled at her ability, feeling that she was at the pinnacle of her strength and fitness. It was just a really big moment for her, like, of accomplishment, you know, like, I did this. Yeah, I mean, they've done a lot so far. The couple reached their final campsite at the base of Mount Whitney ahead of schedule. eager to mark their names down on the backcountry register, they were disappointed to find that it was still completely buried in snow, so they were unable to access it.

In the dimming light, while setting up camp in Crabtree Meadow, G noticed a faint light and a gentle rise of smoke coming from across the meadow. Going to investigate, they found a backcountry cabin staffed with two Sequoia National Park Rangers. The Rangers invited them in and they chatted over warm cups of tea about their adventure on the John Muir Trail thus far and their plans to summit Mount Whitney the following day. It was the planned finale of their trip. Although Ken had actually tossed out the idea several days earlier that perhaps they could continue on after their summit,

ending their trip west of the Sierra's at Lodgepole located on the west side of Sequoia National Park. And that suggestion was something that Gene wasn't exactly thrilled with and didn't really say yes or no to, but it's like that was a. a part of the original plan. And I kind of got a vibe from the book of like, haven't we done enough, you know, type of thing. Yeah, like not that into that plan. Right. But it wasn't like a confirmed yes or no. They were just going to do Mount Whitney and then take it from there.

Before seeing them off for the evening, the Rangers warned Gene and Ken about an impending storm, advising them to descend on the north side of Mount Whitney if the weather began to deteriorate during their climb. Taking the note, the pair made their way back to camp for the night over the the past 17 days, they had covered over 200 miles and thousands of feet up and down throughout some of the most rugged terrain of the west. But their next day would be their biggest challenge of all as they set their sights on summoning Mount Whitney. Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48, comes in that 14,500 feet, or 4,421 meters. It sits on the far eastern boundary of Sequoia National Park and within the Inyo National Forest. There are several routes up the mountain,

ranging from 13 miles all the way to 60 miles one way. So depending on where you're starting and what route you're taking, there are more gentle roots and more challenging ones. Gotcha. While ice axes and crampons are needed in the spring and early summer seasons, technical climbing equipment is not always necessary to summit Whitney between mid-July and early October. This mountain falls into the category of less technical mountains, meaning that it attracts hordes of people.

Some of them are inexperienced and scarily unprepared for bad weather, crevasses, and other hazards that are present here. It's important that non-technical does not equate to easy. So that's just something that I think we all understand, but just to reiterate, it's not an easy trek. It's the tallest mountain in the lower 48. It's hard. It's hard. No matter what trek you choose, the hikes up are strenuous and will challenge even the fittest of hikers. To put it in perspective, the 22-mile round-trip day hike generally takes between 12 and 14 hours to complete. And while I couldn't find a total, accurate numbers and the most up-to-date numbers are kind of hard to find,

there have been many deaths on Mount Whitney since record-keeping began, the vast majority of which are results of false. However, according to the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce, the first recorded death occurred in 1904, and it was a result of a lightning strike at the summit. This incident actually spurred the idea for the stone hut at the summit to be constructed, which is up there today. I love the town of Lone Pine also, just as an aside. Ian and I stopped there when we camped in Alabama Hills.

Oh, cool. And the town of Lone Pine, it's just like, it reminds me a lot of like somewhere that you and Al would absolutely thrive. Why? It's just like, it's a smaller community, but it's a community of just full of, I mean, obviously it's like the portal to Mount Whitney, you know? And yeah, it's just every store's like there's so many outdoor stores and all of the people are very outdoor minded and like it's nothing extravagant, but the vibe is really is really cool. Yeah. I know Al's been there because Al's hiked Mount Whitney.

Mm-hmm. And I know he's been to Lone Pine, but I've never really been to that area before. Yeah. I mean, Ian and I weren't there long. We were only there for in total like two and a half days. Because Alabama Hills is also right there. Okay. That's still like a good amount of time. Yeah. As the crispy chicken sandwich from 7-Eleven, people always call me loud. And I'm like, yeah, I know.

I'm crispy. Did you expect me to whisper? If you want quiet, go eat some soup and reflect. Like, I know I'm a handful. I'm bold, I'm juicy. Throw some pickles and barbecue sauce on me. And baby, I'm a whole meal. And with seven rewards, I'm just $4.

Quiet. No. Crispy, saucy, and $4? Very. Only at 711. Valley through 62326 participating stores only while supplies lastly out for full terms. Despite Mount Whitney's imposing height and reputation for difficulty in the off season, which is when they are attempting this summit. And just as an aside, there wasn't a successful winter summit on record until the 1920s.

So despite all this, Gene recalls the ascent being uneventful. She's like, yep, it was fine. Easy, pacy. They picked their way up amongst the maze of shoots and gullies, stopping periodically to take in the views and indulge in trail snacks. After a couple of breaks and victory photos at the summit, they were preparing to descend when the cloud cover creeped in and the sounds of distant thunder rumbled. The distant thunder became not so distant in what seemed like moments. The air was thick with buzzing and static could be felt atop their heads. Oh no. And flashes of lightning

started to explode around them. Almost simultaneously, snow began falling and the couple quickly weighed their options. The building atop the summit, like I said, after that individual got struck by lightning, they're like, hey, we should have a stone house up here for some shelter. Well, that structure that was there had a layer of ice two feet thick,

and entry was out of the question. They couldn't access it. Their intended route down the mountain involved covering the somewhat long open summit ridge, which given the current conditions, seemed like a very poor choice. There was a lightning storm happening. So they decided

to go with the ranger's suggestion, taking the north face down. Peering around and looking for their best route down was sobering. The western edge of the north face was covered by a long, overhanging sheet of snow, and the eastern edge of the north face was interspersed with cliffs, snow, and ice. The middle was dotted with a few long, steep, snow-filled colliers, steep, narrow gullies, but seemed like the best option that they had available to them. It was extremely steep and Jean was nervous about how doable the descent would realistically be. Ken reassured her of their capabilities, just reminding her like, hey, look what we've just done, you can do this, and he went first. The weather was rapidly deteriorating and being atop the highest peak in the lower 48

in the middle of a lightning storm with skis strapped to your pack was just about the worst place to be. So despite her apprehension, she followed suit. Ken turned towards Jean, back facing the abyss as he stepped out over the ledge and atop the gully. Kicking steps in the snow to make a small platform, he then took out his ice axe, leaned against it as his feet dangled against the steep, snowy slope, locked eyes with Gene, and he began his descent. She stepped up and mimicked Ken, turning towards the mountain and back towards open space. She stuck her ice axe into the mountainside and started a hanging glissade.

They had practiced this maneuver before, but it didn't make it less terrifying. The tool's tip was only half an inch into the mountainside. She held the blue fiberglass shaft with one hand and the other grasped over the top of the blade as she glaceded down. Only a half an inch connected her, complete with pack, skis, and poles to this mountainside. That's horrifying. You have to trust that this is going to hold out. And that your grip is strong enough, you know, like that you can actually hold on. Yeah.

That you can hold on. that the mountain can hold on. Ken was below her and making slow yet steady progress. Suddenly, he was out of control and hurtling down the mountain. Within seconds, he was completely out of sight, lost to distance and the falling snow. Jean shouted for Ken repeatedly, but received no answer but the voice within herself. Be calm, don't hurry. Concentrate, you can do this.

She slowly made her way down, inching herself down the mountain, terrified that the combined weight herself and her pack would rip her ice axe out from the thin layer of ice atop the snowpack and sent her plummeting as well. After what seemed like an eternity, the slope of the mountainside eased up and she was able to support herself on her feet. The thunder and lightning had since stopped, but the snow still fell with a vengeance, making it really difficult to see. But through the flakes, far below her, she saw a small human-shaped silhouette and it was moving, waving at her. From below, Ken decided to ditch his gear and begin to begin to, climbing back up while Jean moved down, hoping to meet her somewhere in the middle.

Reunited in an embrace, they moved together towards an easier spot of terrain and stopped on a small ledge just large enough to seat them both. They didn't know it at the time, but Ken had just survived a nearly 800-foot fall over angled rocks and clifflet edges. Wow. Ken was nearly hypothermic, had lost sensation in his toes, and began feeling significant pain in his back after this fall. Yeah, I bet.

Despite it all, Gene reflecting on that moment remembers looking at Ken appearing almost completely unnerved or unfazed by his near-death fall. In fact, he turned to her in that moment and said, It will be so good to grow old with you. Will you marry me? And without hesitation, she said yes. What a proposal. She fell off an 800-foot cliff.

And in that moment, it kind of sounds like. He was like, oh my God, I almost just died. I better marry this girl now. Yeah, I better say something now and ask. Yeah. They sat for a while, but as early evening approached, the urgency to get off the mountain started to mount, like they needed to get out of there.

It had taken them nearly five hours to get down 1,300 feet. The weather had let up a bit, but plummeting temperatures and the falling snow created an icy glaze over the rocky slabs that separated them and their descent route. Ken made the decision to descend alone to get his gear, and a rope instructing Gene to stay put. She watched as he climbed down, traversing the steep rocks to the loose talus below to gather up his belongings.

Instead of waiting for Ken's return with the rope, Jean decided to follow him. She had descended rock faces like this plenty of times before, but as she descended, gripping the cold granite with her cold hands and reaching for the toe holds Ken had just used, she found herself stuck. Unable to reach the holds that Ken had used to continue down and too exhausted to climb back up, especially with the added weight of her pack, she was frozen. From below, something caught Ken's attention, sparks of orange. To his horror, he watched his new fiancé plummet down the side of the mountain,

ice axe scraping the rocks and creating sparks as she went. Jean only remembered her hands and legs weakening, and then a sudden weightlessness, and then sounds of thump, thump, thump, as her body and her head smasms. off of rocks before everything went black. When she came to, Ken was pulling off her pack and asking repeatedly if she was okay. Dizzy and confused, she was helped to her feet and supported by Ken as they made their way to a somewhat sheltered spot. Gene stabbled several times and making it just 200 yards proved to be an almost impossible

task even with Ken's assistance. As he quickly set up camp at 13,200 feet, Jean clearly remembers laying there, helping and staring out at the sunset over Mount Russell and having a sense of calm wash over her like she had never felt before, thinking that this is a beautiful place to die. Ken pulled Jean into the tent and into a sleeping bag. By this time, the sense of peace and calm she had felt were replaced by excruciating pain. Jean's head was steadily oozing, matting our hair with blood, her back was in blinding pain, and her left buttock was swelling significantly.

Blood seeped through her clothing and collected in her sleeping bag, but she was also bleeding internally. The weather made it impossible to cook or to melt snow, so they went without food or water for that first night. Concerned for her condition, especially as she realized her breathing was shallow and ragged, Jean asked Kent to stay up and monitor her breathing. As she drifted off to sleep, she was visited by what she describes as death. In her words, she says, quote, I knew it without any doubt. I sensed it hovering above my body,

similar to the way a fog sits above a lake on a cold morning. This strange presence had a masculine, energetic quality, powerful yet somewhat peaceful. Pure exhaustion kept me from reacting. Death would either take me or leave me. This thick and heavy presence eventually dissipated. I clearly remember that once it left before I surrendered to sleep, I made the vow. If I live until morning, I will live all of my memories. most important dreams. And live until morning she did. The next day brought unbearable pain and the

inability to do much more than slowly rotate from one side of her body to the other. Gene was too weak to even reach outside of the tent to melt water and relied on Ken to help her with literally everything. They debated what to do. They were only seven miles from the trailhead at Whitney Portal, which was achingly close, especially given the fact that they had just stunned, like, It was to them, it was like nothing, you know, but now, given the circumstances, it's almost impossible. It changes everything. There was also the conditions. They were still horrible and the trek wouldn't be a straightforward one.

This is a straight shot seven miles, of course. They had both broken and lost their skis in their two separate falls because they both fell off the mountain. Ken would have to hike out in bad conditions, injured himself, and the journey would likely take more than a day, given his condition and the condition and the condition. and the conditions of the trail and the weather. Right. Leaving Jean on the side of Mount Whitney in her state was almost out of the question as well. I mean, she was dying. She is literally dying.

Yeah. So especially in a time before emergency beacons and the lack of cell phones, they decided they needed to evacuate themselves. Help was not coming. They had to do something themselves. They had to get out. Deciding against splitting up, the couple opted to tackle evacuation together once the storm.

passed. With nothing to do but retreat into her own mind to pass the time, that first day after the accident, Jean realized how powerful the mind could truly be. Her mantra of, I am going to live, played on repeat throughout her thoughts every waking moment. Trying to stay positive was a very difficult task given the circumstances, but the day bled into night and then turned to day again. The storm raged on and the ever-present risk of being covered in an avalanche from the overhang above their tent was also always at top of mind. The tent would load with snow and then Ken would have to frequently go out and brush it all off to avoid being bogged down and suffocated in their tent. It's so scary. Imagine you fall asleep and it's just you fall asleep too long and you can't get out.

That or you're asleep and you know you just are covered. Yeah. Gene felt that the tent she so eagerly crawled into every night started to feel like a coffin and her life-threatening injuries were becoming more and more severe as time ticked by. Her left buttock was swollen three times larger than her right. She was unable to urinate at all, despite desperately, desperately needing to, which added to the concern of toxic buildup on top of the internal bleeding that she was experiencing. The laceration on her head throbbed with every single beat of her heart. And then obviously the pain all over, she was in really bad shape. She sounds like she's in a really bad way.

The following day, which, just to keep track of time, is now day three. The weather had let up a bit, giving Ken and Gene their window. Each move was painstakingly slow. Her 35-pound pack felt like 100 pounds, and each step what came was shooting pain, but there was no other choice. Inch by inch they staggered on. She would later discover the actual extent of her injuries, but to put it in perspective for now, like obviously she finds us out later,

but just so we are all aware. She had broken her back in multiple places, had a shattered pelvis, a broken tailbone, nearly frost-bitten toes, a head injury, a displaced sacrum, internal bleeding, and damaged nerves,

including those in her bladder. Which is why she can't urinate. Correct. Oh, my God, that's like... And she's carrying a 35-pound pack through the snow. And she need,

I would say leave it, but she needs the stuff that's in it. So it's not an option. Carrying a 35-pound pack. pack with a broken back while hiking off of the tallest mountain in the lower 48. Despite her injuries, she crept along. They had to stop frequently, and during some of those stops, Jean made mental promises to come back to certain locations to camp after noticing their beauty, which is, in my opinion,

a testament to her mental fortitude. And like she had said before, like, your mind is everything. And instead of being like, I hope I make it, she's viewing it as, well, I'm. really want to come back here and see this again. Like, she's already in her mind, okay, if that makes sense. You know what I mean? Yeah. Without their skis, they plunged into the snow up to their thighs, making the going even

tougher. Because remember before, they were skiing across everything. And now they're being weighted down by their packs up to their thighs with each and every step. And she has a freaking broken back and sacrum. Her pelvis is shattered. And imagine lifting your leg up even once. I just can't do that for seven miles.

Yeah. Travel was tedious and difficult, especially as they moved along and the terrain began to vary. They traversed the snow, bushwhacked, sledge through mudflats, crossed riverbeds, and navigated over rock scramble. All of this, by the way, she did without—oh yeah, I forgot this part—without her prescription glasses, which she had broken in the fall. So she can't even see? Ah, this poor woman and strong woman. As night descended, the twinkle of lights from the town of Lone Pine became visible. Exhausted, dizzy, and unable to continue, Gene insisted that they stopped. At 10 p.m., they laid their sleeping bags on top of their tent because they were too exhausted to set it up and fell into a deep sleep.

The following morning, Jean could hardly move, but with Ken's encouragement, she got to her feet. Staggering like a drunk, barely able to see, unable to take a straight step due to exhaustion, pain, hunger, and dehydration, she continued on. Because remember, this is now day five and they're just so weak. they can barely make any, like they have supplies in food, but there's been instances they haven't made anything. Because it takes so much effort. Right. And they're both injured. Yeah.

I mean, obviously, Gene, way more than Ken, but still. Still, it's a lot. And then he's trying to take care of her at the same time. And it's just, and five days is a really long time to be with limited supplies in a place that the weather is also scary in hard terrain. So she's kind of at this point in and out of consciousness. And suddenly, she feels herself being carried by Ken. and before she knew it, the trail turned to asphalt below them and they were finally in the parking lot. Ken gently sat her down and won off in search of someone to take them to the hospital.

It was May 5th, early in the season, but thankfully he was able to flag someone down. The first person he encountered actually refused to take them, but the second was quick to agree. For the first time in five days, Jean cried out of gratitude, pain, and relief. After a 13-mile drive, they arrived at the hospital, and it was an all hands-on-deck situation. Her clothing was cut away from her body. She was sent immediately in for x-ray. She was given blood transfusions and sent into surgery,

where gangrenous tissue from her buttock was removed, along with a random piece of bone fragment that had gotten lodged into it. During her recovery, she made several calls. First to her mother, informing her of what had happened. Next to Mount Rainier to sadly inform them that she would be unable to take up the position the following summer, and finally, to Inyo National Forest, to inform them that she was sorry for leaving her skis out in the forest. That's very kind of her. That wouldn't be top of mind for me, but...

I feel like they understand. I know. They're probably like, it's okay? Question mark. Are you okay? We'll go get them for you. While doctors revealed Ken would have a somewhat swift and uncomplicated recovery from his fall, they informed Gene she, would likely never even hike again. At first, this saddened her, but just as quickly, she aimed

to prove them all wrong. After all, she had just survived at 150 footfall and descended another 4,800 feet with a broken spine and pelvis, extreme internal bleeding, and a head injury, all while carrying a 35-pound pack. She could do anything. Yeah, especially they're telling a woman who just went through this that she can't go for a hike. She's like, we'll see about that. Like, I just did hike in this condition and I think I'm going to be in better condition when I heal. She was transferred from Lone Pine Hospital to a larger hospital in San Diego where she stayed for several weeks before being discharged and sent home for continued recovery. A shift occurred in her and Ken's relationship and they grew distant.

When summer came, Ken left for his position at Mount Rainier and Jean, still unable to care for herself, had to move in with her mother. She spent four months nearly completely bedridden and spent her time either asleep, reading, or watching television while her body healed. Her mother assisted her in nearly everything, something that Jean struggled with as she came to terms with the loss of her freedom. Pain killers doled her pain, but also her mind. She was brought to the hospital routinely for outpatient treatments, physical therapy, and specialty visits. By the end of the summer, Jean was mobile again. Ken had returned home and they moved back in together to San Diego.

To Jean's bewilderment, Ken refused to speak about their Mount Whitney incident and banned her from speaking about it to anyone else. Why? I don't know. Well, she clearly doesn't follow that because she... There's a book about it. Well, things have unfolded since then, of course. Okay. But this is in like the immediate aftermath.

She even gave a presentation to the Sierra Club in front of 300 people about their book. about their epic John Muir Trail expedition and ended it with their epic summit of the mountain and never mentioned anything that followed after. They're like, yeah, we did the thing and we summited it and then that's that. So it's just like this big happy story that went off without a hitch. Yeah, and she totally omitted. Wow, that must have been hard to not say that. So difficult, so difficult. Especially because she survived so much and she tried so hard to get out of there to just pretend it didn't happen. Yeah, it's odd. Gene did not understand. why Ken reacted and felt this way. But she felt it was a ludicrous and not speaking about it made

her feel dishonest not only to others, but more importantly to herself. Like this is her experience just as much as it is Ken's. Like, I don't know. Who's he to say what she can talk about and what she can't? Right. Despite this massive rift and disagreement, they continued on with life. After a year, Jean was physically active again. She and Ken spent the following two years, skiing ski trips to the Sieras and working as seasonal park rangers in Mount Rainier and Glacier before getting married shortly after Jean accepted a full-time position at Rocky Mountain National Park in 1986. Aside from urinary issues, from the outside looking in, it appeared as if nothing had ever happened. But of course, something had happened, a trip and an accident that changed the

couple's lives forever, especially genes. The faded discussion she had with Ken that weekend in 1979 was not the only destiny-bound conversation she had, though. For the most part, Gene respected Ken's wishes to not speak about the Mount Whitney accident, but made an exception. Gene confided in one of her college professors named Bob O'Brien. Bob and Gene had a lot in common, a shared love of the outdoors, geography, and national parks. Bob had worked as a seasonal ranger in Mount Rainier, and coincidentally, shortly after Jean's fall, Bob suffered his own fall during a climbing trip while he was in France. After his broken back recovered, Gene visited him and their friendship deepened over their shared struggles. Bob was a very well-traveled person, and that also intrigued Gene because she had a deep desire to see the world and always had.

Jean saw Bob as a father figure who encouraged her, believed in her and served as her mentor. Even after she graduated college and moved away, Bob extended invitations for her to drop in on his lectures that he would give particularly about Nepal's cultural and physical geography. It was Bob and his love for the Himalayas that inspired Jean's own Himalayan dream and eventually visit that would once again change the entire trajectory of her life. And instead of me telling you about what happens next, Jean will be doing that herself when we welcome her to the show on our next episode. What a way to end it.

I'm so excited to get to talk to her. This is what a powerful and strong woman and to do all these things and accomplish stuff. I mean, I just love the fact that the doctors were like, you're never going to hike again. And then you ended that with. Next, we're going to hear about her adventures in the Himalayas. Yeah. And so the book, the book, obviously that she wrote herself, I had listened to a couple interviews that she had done about the book in particular.

And she was very adamant about, you know, yes, she goes. got help with publishing the book and like different grammatical editing and making sure everything, you know, like grammatically was correct. But as far as like the voice coming through and the way that she presented the information and the story, she wanted to be tutor herself. So she's really proud of this book because it is her story in her own words. And the book is divided pretty much into like two halves. I mean, there are several sections, but essentially it's the trip and the accident, which I kind of just covered for everyone. And then the entire. second half is the rest of her life up until, you know, the book was published a few years ago.

And what she does after the accident, in my opinion, is also so amazing and interesting to learn about. And of course, the interviews that I've listened to with her are important and so interesting because they cover the accident and everything that she went through, which is incredible. But they end there. And she's had so much more. I mean, the accident is just one part of her life. And she clearly goes on to do so much more. So I reached out to her and asked if she would be interested in coming on to speak with us about, you know, not only her accident, but more importantly, what she's done after and how the accident, this near-death experience, changed her life. Yeah.

So we're going to have her on on Thursday. I love that. And I can't wait to hear because I think that's a really valid point where people have focused so much on one thing. because, I mean, it is incredible. What she went through is absolutely insane. And the fact that she made it out and the way that she did it is an incredible story. But the fact that, I mean, just the end where you said next we're going to talk about how she hikes in the Himalayas. It's like, what else is this woman doing?

What else can she do? So I'm really excited to hear from her as well. Yeah. So we will be speaking to her. Well, in real time, we'll be talking to her tomorrow. But you guys will hear it on Wednesday. So we will see you then. On Thursday?

Thursday. Did I say Wednesday? Yeah. I take it back. It's Thursday. Like, when have we ever released an episode on Wednesday? Never. It's extra special.

Yeah, just kidding. It's on Thursday. So we will see you then. In the meantime, enjoy the view. But watch you're back. Bye. Bye. Thank you so much for joining us again this week.

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