While lying on my back in my sleeping bag in the wilderness approximately 1.5 - 2 miles away from the closest small town I was cold and exhausted. Attempting to sleep occasional snowflakes would fall onto my eyelids. During the night I kept a plastic water bottle filled with snow snuggled against my body and prayed my body heat would melt the snow in the water bottle enabling me to quench my dire thirst. In the morning I attempted to drink from the water bottle and unfortunately found no water. I was very disappointed to discover none of the snow melted after enduring an uncomfortable sleepless night with a cold snow filled water bottle huddled next to me. With anticipation I planned my next actions that morning.
My story is from my recollection with some very much appreciated feedback from three of my friends who participated in this trip with me.
Planning a Cross Country Ski Trip Vacation
I had the opportunity to go cross country skiing a couple of years after graduating high school in April of 1982. I planned this trip during an early spring break from college and a vacation from work. Having never skied before I believed this would be an enjoyable and challenging vacation and was very much looking forward to getting away. I planned this trip with two of my friends, Stan and Terry. Our plan was to meet three other friends Tom, Pat and John at our destination Lucky Dog. A few of us were familiar with Lucky Dog since we had been camping at this location over holiday weekends for years. We planned to bring backpacks filled with enough food and supplies to last a week. In preparation for the trip each of us went shopping for a variety of delicious food. Stan, Terry and I planned on sleeping in a somewhat large old wooden barn approximately 15 feet x 25 feet with a ridgeline of about 14 feet that was present at our destination in many past trips. This barn was at the Sandusky Mine, at the confluence of Lucky Dog and Sandusky Creeks. Tom, Pat and John may have had this same idea of using the barn as shelter. We thought even if the weather was bad this barn would provide adequate protection.
What is and Where is Lucky Dog
Lucky Dog is an old gold mine that was no longer in production near Lucky Dog creek. Lucky Dog is in the gold country of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. The closest town is Forest City which had a population of 13 at the time of our trip. There were only a few houses and no stores on the one very small main road this town had. The closest town with a store was Allegheny which is approximately 6 miles from Lucky Dog. Besides the few houses in Forest City there was an old spooky looking graveyard on a hill overlooking the town. Most of the tomb stones were falling over they were so old. A lot of the people who were buried at this graveyard were buried during the gold rush days when the town was more populated.
Ready for Some Enjoyment and Relaxation
After renting skis, ski boots, and ski poles, completing our shopping and packing we were now ready for enjoyment and relaxation. On the morning we left for our trip I said goodbye to my then girlfriend and now wife Kathy.
Stan, Terry and I took Stan’s car on this trip. It was a 1967 red Alfa Romeo GTV. We loaded our 3 fully packed backpacks, 3 sets of skis, all 3 of us (Stan-driver, Terry and me) plus other needed supplies into this small sports car. We were a little cramped as we traveled although nobody complained.
Finally on the Road
When we left on April 1st it had been snowing in the higher elevations prior to our trip. Although it had snowed in the high elevations we were a bit concerned that we would not have enough snow to go skiing since the elevation of our destination was approximately 4000 to 5000 feet above sea level. After a few hours on the road we were excited that we were now in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range and getting closer to our destination. As the road climbed in elevation we were not able to see any snow which added to our anxiety that there would not be enough snow to ski on. At one point on Highway 49 near the bridge over the South Fork of the Yuba River we found a huge automobile sized boulder in the middle of the road. We had to maneuver around this boulder that must have slid off the mountain side.
When we were approximately 20 miles away from our destination it started snowing lightly. Now that it was snowing we laughed with joy as we anticipated the fun we were going to have. As we got closer to our destination it continued snowing harder and harder. We eventually needed to put on our tire chains to help with our car’s traction. Shortly after we turned off the road we were on and started down a narrower road we could hardly see the road since it was covered in deeper snow. The falling snow also obscured our vision requiring us to drive slower.
By this time the road had narrowed significantly due to the distance to any main roads and towns. Now that we were getting further out into the secluded wilderness we no longer passed other cars on the road. The trees that surrounded the road were covered in snow making our travel through this winter wonderland very scenic. We were now getting very close to our destination and we all became very quiet because we were a bit anxious, or at least I was due to the increasing darkness and the additional falling snow. It was very difficult to see around any corners on this very windy and narrow mountain road. As we attempted to stay in the middle of the road we ultimately plowed our car very gently into a snow bank. Luckily where the car rested was close enough to our planned starting destination and it seemed to mostly be off the road therefor we left the car parked there.
We Had Arrived at Forest City
With our delay driving in the hazardous snow conditions it was now almost dark. When we looked around to orient ourselves we could see our friend’s car ahead of us partially covered in snow parked near a snow bank. Since at the time of this trip in 1982 cell phones were not generally used nor did any of us have one therefor we could not call our friends to let them know where we were or ask them where they were.
Since we had reached the location where we would transition to skis we got out of the car and stretched our legs which felt nice. After some quick stretching we put on our jackets, backpacks, gloves, hats, skis and gators for those who had them. My backpack was very heavy on this trip because I did not bring the usual freeze-dried food, so instead I brought real good food, not wanting to skimp on more appetizing meals. This food increased my backpack weight for I generally only bring freeze dried food if I was going on a larger organized trip. Before we left the car during our final packing we found we had a slight problem since we did not have enough room in any of our backpacks for the rain fly. We decided to leave the rain fly behind since we were going to ski to a location with a barn that we planned to use as our shelter.
Time to Go Cross Country Skiing
Now that we all had our skis and backpacks on it felt nice to start skiing to the barn in the ankle-deep snow. We skied in the dark by moon and star light. With the snow falling we could not actually see the moon or stars, although we could see how the light made the snow glow brightly all around us as it fell. This glowing reflective whiteness combined with darkness enabled us to travel without the need of any flashlights or other unnatural light sources.
To get to our destination we turned off the main road our car was on and crossed a small bridge that went over a creek that connected to a dirt road. Once we started down the snow-covered dirt road we quickly found the snow was much deeper, maybe because nobody had cleared the snow from this dirt road. We also realized this cross-country ski trip would not be easy. By now the snow was falling harder and harder. Occasionally we would have white outs where we needed to stop skiing since we could not see our hands in front of our faces. When the white outs would occur an earie, silence came over our group. Each time they would occur I would pray they would not go on forever. Luckily each time a white out occurred it did not last too long and after each one ended we were able to continue.
We were also fortunate the winds were not blowing too strongly and the snow-covered road we were traveling on was relatively level. On one side of the snow-covered dirt road was a very steep drop off in which we did not want to get too close to in case the snow gave way causing us to fall off the road into the darkness below. If one of us did fall down over the edge it would be next to impossible for that person to climb back to the road through the deep snow. The other side of the snow-covered road was a steep mountain covered in snow with an occasional snow-covered tree sticking out of it.
As we traveled very slowly through the deep snow, we wondered if an avalanche would occur and possibly bury us or knock us over the steep edge. We did not talk much during our travels to save our energy. Plus, we feared when we were next to the steep snow-covered mountainside the sounds of our voices would cause an avalanche by the reverberations. When we did talk our voices were somewhat muffled due to the falling snow above us and the deep snow below us.
Blizzard Intensifying
As the storm intensified and we traveled further away from our car the snow continued to get deeper and deeper.
Since this was my first time cross country skiing and skiing of any type I was having difficulty. I soon fell over in the deep snow and sunk into the soft powder far below the level I had been skiing on. With my heavy backpack on and no solid footing I struggled with all of my might to stand up again in this powdery snow. I compared this experience to getting out of quicksand although I had just heard about how difficult it is to get out of. In my desperate struggles I could not take off my heavy backpack to allow me to stand because it would sink in the deep powder. I was also not sure anyone could have pulled my backpack out of the deep powder. My friends could not reach down to give me a hand to help me up fearing they would fall as well, which could cause me to sink deeper into the snow. I struggled some more with all of my might and eventually pulled myself up to my skis. I fell a couple more times shortly after that and vowed to never fall again. The amount of energy exerted attempting to get up again was not worth falling.
Soon our ski tracks were so deep we could not easily get out of them. The person leading the group used the most energy since they had to plow through the very deep powder to make the tracks for the rest of us to follow. To give the leader a rest we would rotate duties at leading.
At one point in our trek a small mouse came running down the snow-covered road. It took a turn and unfortunately fell into our deep ski tracks. Due to the deep track it could not climb out. Stan tried to help the mouse by picking it up with his basket on the ski tip pole and gently flung it out of the track. To our astonishment and sadness this extremely light mouse fell into the snow and sunk out of sight. As we continued we thought this mouse would eventually climb back to the surface of the snow.
We Found Our Friends
Hours passed and we all wished we were at the barn or could find our friends Tom, Pat and John in the snow storm.
As we rounded the next bend in the road through the darkness and falling snow we could see a snow-covered tent in the middle of the road. With excitement we found it to be our friends. They were also happy to see us. They explained the storm had become too severe for them to see in the whiteout conditions and since neither of them had ever been to the barn they were concerned they would never find it so they stayed in the middle of the road hoping to have us come along. They offered to squeeze us into their tent with them to spend the night.
We thought we were about half way to our destination of the barn which could provide adequate shelter therefore we turned down their offer to stay with them. Before we left Tom, Pat and John told us they would meet us at the barn in the morning.
Many more hours passed as we ploughed through the very deep powder with the snow storm continuing to intensify.
Most of the time nobody was talking as we traveled. This lack of continuous conversation could have been to help maintain our strength and save our energy, or maybe we were just too tired or in a daze of self contemplation. We could not get food from our backpacks during our trek because if the others were like me my fingers were too cold to unzip my zippers on my backpack. Also, if we took off our backpacks they would sink in the very deep powder.
The sound around us was muffled due to the falling snow and the snow-covered trees that surrounded us. When I looked up all I could see through the falling snow was a light glow of darkness. This color gently transitioned to the brighter color of the snow on the mountains and road we skied on making this environment a silent surreal experience. I am sure the temperature was far below freezing outside. Due to the amount of exercise I had been doing and my proper clothing my body did not feel too cold except for my hands and feet.
We Made it to Our Shelter (the Barn)
In the distance through darkness and falling snow we thought we could see a structure. Once we got closer and confirmed it was the barn this sight brought happiness and anticipation with the thought of shelter and rest. As we skied up closer to the barn we were all terribly disappointed because we found that someone had taken down all the walls on the barn. The barn still had a roof, although there were now only boards of the frame with large gaps in-between each holding up the roof. We were all very exhausted and needed to rest. Our friends were too far away to go back during such a severe storm at this point, therefor we all made our way into the shelter of the barn.
After removing my backpack I was so terribly thirsty I went to look for water in the Sandusky Creek while Terry and Stan waited at the barn. Although the creek was only approximately 50 feet away I was gone at least half an hour attempting to locate the creek in the blizzard and darkness. Unfortunately I returned without water since I was unable to reach the creek due to the deep snow. I also felt my attempt to locate the creek in the blizzard was getting extremely dangerous and I also sensed if I proceeded it would be like committing suicide. When I returned to the barn I laid down on my sleeping bag and insolated pad and huddled near where Stan and Terry were in their sleeping bags. We were all very hungry and thirsty. We were all too tired to get any food out of our backpacks. Plus, my fingers were too cold to unzip the zippers on my backpack to get at my food, or my stove to heat up some snow to melt and get any drinking water. This was the first time I had taken off my backpack or sat down in hours and although I was beyond exhausted sitting felt nice.
While lying on my back in my sleeping bag in the wilderness approximately 1.5 - 2 miles away from the closest small town I was cold and exhausted. Attempting to sleep occasional snowflakes would fall onto my eyelids. During the night I kept a plastic water bottle filled with snow snuggled against my body. During the night I prayed my body heat would melt the snow in the water bottle enabling me to quench my dire thirst. In the morning I attempted to drink from the water bottle and unfortunately found no water. I was very disappointed none of the snow melted after enduring an uncomfortable sleepless night with a cold snow filled water bottle huddled next to me.
Morning Had Come
All too soon it was morning. We knew we could not stay another night in this barn without any walls. The blizzard was still going strong outside and we realized we needed to leave quickly. When we looked at the opening where a door would go if this barn had one we noticed this exit was almost covered to the top of the door jam with fresh powder. With astonishment of almost being completely snowed in we planned our next actions. We literally had to climb out after digging the snow out of the way to get back to ground level to start our journey again. In an attempt to leave as quickly as possible with a goal to make it back to Forest City before it got dark I skipped eating. If I did have anything I could have had a small piece of beef jerky.
By morning the very light powder snow was so deep we could only travel inches at a time. The person in the lead would kick their ski back-and-forth under the snow until one ski tip would eventually break through to the surface. Once the ski was free they then lifted the ski up as high as possible then took one step forward into the very soft powder. After the ski was on somewhat solid snow again this exhausting process would be repeated over and over again to travel. We used this technique as we carved a trench approximately 4 feet or more deep enabling the ones following the leader to follow in their tracks. The powder was so light on either side of the trench; my ski poles never hit any solid snow as they felt like I was swinging them freely without any resistance in thin air. By now all of us were exhausted beyond words. The strongest and most experienced skier had to take the lead most of the way.
The others behind the lead skier would hardly move while waiting for the leader to take another step forward. Since I was not an experienced skier I would usually be near the end of the line of our group waiting for the leader to take a step. While I waited I would constantly be doing deep knee bends, touching my toes and moving my fingers and toes to help prevent severe frost bite which could require amputations when I returned. I would also move my upper body from side to side enabling the snow that had accumulated on me to fall off my backpack. I would also occasionally reach up on my backpacked behind my head and scoop off some snow to suck on to moisten my mouth. I was cautious not to eat too much snow since I did not want to lower my body temperature by eating large amounts of it.
We Found Our Friends Again
After skiing for a few hours, we eventually found our friends Tom, Pat and John on the snow-covered dirt road where we had left them. They were packing up their gear and tent most likely to start their trek to the barn where they thought we would be. They explained their igloo-style dome tent had become completely covered with snow by morning. As they opened the zipper to the door of the tent they encountered a wall of snow which caused the other side of the tent to collapse. It was a rude awakening after experiencing a cold night, therefor they realized they had to head back to the car as this trip was not turning out as they hoped for. They had packed up their food and hot drinks, although they had a little left which Terry graciously accepted. Pat was having difficulties with the skis he rented and at one point he lost one of his clips that held his ski boot to his ski. I thought to myself if we did not find the clip so Pat could put his skis back on there was no way we could get him out since the snow was far too deep for him to travel without skis. Luckily after a little digging around in the powder we found his boot clip.
Soon all of us were slowly and painfully on our way back to Forest City. During the many hours we traveled I kept thinking to myself over and over again that I would not let myself die. I felt how easy it would be to give up and lay down and die in the snow. I felt I would not feel any pain and die peacefully if I chose this option. I felt as if death would be just like going to sleep and never waking up. Since giving up was not an option for me I continued.
Looking through the falling snow we noticed an object off in the distance. This was the snow-covered bridge going over the creek that connected the snow-covered dirt road we were on back to the road where we had parked our cars. Since we were almost back to our cars we began to feel a sense of relief thinking our ordeal was almost over.
We made it Back to Forest City, Now What?
After a grueling 11 hours of traveling the approximately 1.5 -2 miles to make it back to Forest City from the barn we were almost there. I thought about how much energy and calories I used during this long trek.
Upon crossing the bridge to Forest City just before reaching the main road which was plowed the snow was up to our waist/chest/chins depending on the height of the person and where we stood on the road. Stan looked over at Tom as he impatiently made parallel tracks with him and all Stan could see was Tom’s head above the snow!
At this time two men from a house of he distance a little way up the road stood out on the road watching us struggle in the snow as we passed below the cemetery. Once we had crossed the bridge and made it to the main road that was partially plowed we began to look for our cars. To our astonishment all we could see when we looked in the direction where we had parked our cars were two snow moguls completely burying our cars. The road was also covered with many feet of snow therefore we could not get out even if our cars were not buried.
Attempting to Locate Shelter
Since our cars were buried our first thought was to camp in the snow-covered road. Then we thought about our second option which was to attempt to get to one of the houses in the very small town to find shelter. We could see a couple of houses off the road although they looked almost impossible to get to due to our exhausted state and the deep snow.
As we looked around we could not see or hear any sign of life not even the two people we had seen earlier as we passed below the cemetery. We figured, maybe most people no longer live in Forest City or had left for the winter.
The first house on the road had a large covered porch in which we planned on taking shelter under. It was very difficult getting up to the porch from the road due to the amount of deep snow. I was so exhausted I stayed back on the snow-covered road while Stan made it to the house. Stan took off his skis and took one step onto the stairs of the porch and suddenly a roof-load of snow fell off the tin roof on him. We were all so tired, nobody said a word, not even Stan. Stan then climbed out of the snow and just to be sure nobody was home he knocked on the door to ask who ever lived there if we could take shelter on the porch. When the door opened an elderly lady, Miss Vivian (what the local's called her) answered. She quickly said "If you are stupid enough to be out in this storm you deserve to die and slammed the door shut. Stan immediately knocked again, and this time her husband answered. He let us use the phone and Stan called one of his local contacts Scott in Pike although he was also snowed in and couldn't help us. After the phone call Miss Vivian's husband brought all six of us coffee which we all gratefully accepted as we drank it down. Even though Miss Vivian was still not going to let us stay on her front porch, we at least had gotten some fluid into us which sparked some life into our dreadfully tired bodies.
Caring and Generous Person Shows Up Out of Nowhere
The only other person in town must have seen us and walked over to us as Miss Vivian was rejecting our pleas for shelter. This kind stranger named Ralph quickly told us we could stay in his basement. Upon hearing this excellent news we became very grateful and happy. It looked like we would survive. After we had skied to Ralph’s house we took off our backpacks and skis on his porch. We then followed each other through Ralph’s house to the basement as his wife Asbestos looked on, probably wondering who these six strangers are and why are they in my home. The basement had a single light bulb hanging by a wire in the center of the room. Some snow blew in through the foundation skirting and gave the appearance that the walls of the foundation were made of snow. Also plywood littered the ground. It was not the most pleasant accommodations, although we were very grateful!
After taking off our wet clothes we hung them over the pipes in this basement to allow them to dry. Now that we were on solid ground I was now able to get into my backpack easily for the first time and eat some snacks.
Some time later, Ralph who invited us to stay in his basement told us to come and have some hot food his wife Asbestos had caringly prepared for us. My eyes sparkled with joy in anticipation hearing this exciting news. We all went into the living room where they had a nice warm fire going. We all had a dinner of beef stroganoff, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, vegetables, pie for dessert and drinks.
While we were sitting around eating we over heard a conversation on the CB or short-wave radio (not sure what kind of radio). Ralph who was a gold mine manager had people who worked for him who were still lost out in the blizzard possibly out towards the Ruby mine above Downieville. We could tell from his conversation he was organizing a rescue party for the morning. Ralph’s foreman was also trapped in a mobile home a couple hundred yards up the hill from his house. They talked on the radio and at one point the foreman said his generator had died and he was going to go see if he could fix it so the heater would work. He let Ralph know in case he didn't make it back. Eventually he radioed back saying he got it running again. He had used a piece of plywood and laid it across the snow, crawled across the plywood, and repeated the process to and from the generator until it was running.
Ralph enjoyed telling a few people on the radio about the crazy young guys he took in that were actually trying to camp in this storm.
That night we all slept peacefully in the living room instead of the basement. As soon as the sun rose we all enjoyed a hearty home cooked breakfast prepared by our gracious hosts. As soon as we were done with our delicious breakfast we got shovels and dug out our kind host’s truck.
As we were digging it out with joy and gratitude, he told us a helicopter was coming to take him to try to find his workers. By now the snow had stopped. We noticed the thermometer on the porch registered 10 degrees. This made me wonder how cold the temperature was when it was dark outside or when the blizzard was in its most fierce stage.
After we had freed Ralph’s truck we then placed plywood over his windows on his house to keep the snow from breaking them before the snow plow/ blower came up the road. We had to cover the windows because the snow plow’s blower chute was broken and wouldn't change directions allowing the snow to be blown away from the house.
Soon the snow plow/ blower came and cleared the road. We watched in anticipation as the snow plow/ blower driver just missed the Alfa Romeo I had ridden up in by inches. The driver cleared the road so close to Stan’s car that after the snow plow/ blower passed some red paint on one of the doors was now exposed. The car antenna was now bent possibly from the weight of the snow.
We had to move our cars before they could land the helicopter. After we dug around our cars we pulled them out from the snow banks with Ralph’s vehicle. Not long after our cars were free the helicopter landed in the road and picked up Ralph, our caring and thoughtful person, who may have saved our life’s and was now off to attempt to rescue his own workers.
Time to Depart Our Winter Wonderland and Celebrate
After our cars were free from the snow bank we quickly packed up our two cars and left for home on April 2nd before any other snowstorms rolled in. In our car with Stan, Terry and myself we celebrated by singing songs with joy in our hearts, listened to music and talked all the way home. We had conversations about the happiness of life and how lucky we were to survive such an ordeal. We also talked about our gracious hosts Ralph and Asbestos and how some people can be so caring and generous. I also thought about Miss Vivian who declined to assist us when we first made it back from Lucky Dog to Forest City. It could be she was afraid of six strangers and did not know how to react. I was grateful to have had previous experiences in the mountains which helped with this challenging blizzard adventure.
Safely Back Home
When we arrived home, our families, friends and co-workers were happy and relieved to see us alive and safe. I felt my ability to return home safe was a joyous celebration and a second chance at life. The blizzard had been on all the local news channels and everyone who knew where we were had been a bit worried knowing we were out in such severe elements.
When I returned to my then employer Gemco department store in Cupertino California one of my managers Clint quickly walked over to me and said with joy in his voice “we thought you had died”.
I did not know at the time how beneficial experiencing such a perseverance to survive our cross-country ski trip in an extreme blizzard would assist me later in life. This experience may have assisted me in some way when in May of 1999 I had my second experience with the possibility of dying. This experience was due to suddenly going into a coma for 3 months, going completely blind, losing the ability to walk for 1 year, enduring many surgeries, medical procedures and countless hours of therapy and training to re-skill myself.
One thing I do regret about the trip is that my fingers were so cold I could not get my camera out of my backpack during our cross country ski trip. When we made it back to Forest City I was focused on how we would get out and back home therefor I was only able to take the few picture's below.
Captions to Pictures
John, Terry, Stan, and Tom all dressed in wool shoveling snow around a vehicle as Terry smiles.
Ralph’s house as the snow plow/ blower makes its way up the road.
Stan’s Alfa Romeo buried in snow
Beautiful snow covered hillside and snow covered trees
Statistics from This Major Storm We Survived
From Tahoe Nuggets #230 WINTER OF 1982:
It’s been 30 years since one of the deadliest avalanches in Sierra Nevada history broke loose at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort and killed seven people. For those of us who remember this tragic event on March 31, 1982, and the days of grief and hope that followed, it represents a benchmark in time. The 15.5 feet of snow that fell at the Central Sierra Snow Lab between March 27 and April 8, 1982, still ranks as the greatest single snowstorm total on record for Donner Summit.
The Donner Summit Caltrans rest area on Interstate 80 is approximately 37 air miles from Forest City.
Noted in the San Francisco Chronicle for Thursday April 1 and Friday April 2 1982:
6 feet of new snow fell on April 1st and then 4 additional feet fell on April 2nd.
216 inches or 18 feet of snow fell at the Mammoth Lakes area.
The article called it “the biggest early spring storm on record”.
Read the complete articles San Francisco Chronicle graciously provided below. Note to some Assistive Technology Users the PDF files will need to have Optical Recognition performed on them.
Download 1-SFC-April_01_1982_page_1
Download 2-SFC-April_01_1982_back_page_column_1
Download 3-SFC-April_02_1982_page_1
Download 4-SFC-April_02_1982_page_4_column_1
Download 5-SFC-April_02_1982_back_page_column_1
Conclusion and Reflections
One does not know how one’s previous experiences can be invaluable for any future challenge. You never know how the current challenging and difficult times can provide invaluable learning opportunities. Has anyone else experienced such compassion as we did when Ralph rescued us you want to tell us about? Do you have any camping, backpacking or cross-country ski trips experiences where you needed to push yourself demonstrating perseverance you want to share? Does anyone have comments about our trip?
We all look forward to hearing from you.
Bill Tipton
Contributing Author,
Global Dialogue Center
http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/
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