He slid 300 feet down an icy slope, fracturing his neck. Then he walked out.
Hiking alone, men die every year in falls on Mt. Stuart, Asgaard Pass and the Enchantments. They were reckless: didn't check current trail conditions (snow/ice), pack appropriately or take an established route. Mountain climbing is dangerous.
Ryan Cairnes, 36, feels lucky to be alive. Later in the hospital, he realized the route he chose with GPS was not the recommended route.
“It was eye-opening,” Cairnes said. “I shouldn’t be here.”
"There are a few things he’d do differently: pack an emergency beacon, let others know his route and do more route research.
"But after two days with a broken body in below freezing temperatures and almost entirely self-rescued, there are a few things he thinks he did right: know how hurt you are, know where you are and know if anyone’s coming for you, he said.
“Attack the things that will kill you first,” Cairnes said. "I knew there’s basically three things you die from: exposure, lack of water and lack of food.”
Cairnes plans to return to hiking and mountaineering after he heals.
Photos:
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Mt. Rainier framed by the Enchantments, Feb. 2010. Taken from a small plane.
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Golden Larch frame Mt. Stuart and the Enchantments, late October, 2019.
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12 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.For some reason I did not expect so many hikers 
Davesnothere
Level 7
Nov 11, 2019
1
It is far more dangerous to hike alone, that said I did the the top half of the AT that way in the 80's. Solitude in nature is both wondrous and ruthless, like nature itself.
Davesnothere
Level 7
Nov 11, 2019
1
I wish I had heard of the Appalachian trail when I was younger. I have read several books written by hikers. fascinating stories. I am much too old now but I still get up in the hills summer and winter and often alone. I can't always find anyone daft enough to come with me.
@Davenothere
You're right. That's why I never hike alone. What if I get hurt or lost? There's no one to do first aid or go for help.
"The Appalachian trail is a hole in the woods," Bill Bryson wrote in his hilarious book, "A Walk in the Woods," on hiking the Appalachian trail.
I much prefer the Pacific Crest Trail.
Photos: Pacific Crest Trail, Washington State
@LiterateHiker Absolutely, you take your life in your hands in wilderness alone.
@LiterateHiker I find the sierras incomprehensible to those who have never seen them, like all great ranges, they cannot be captured in words or film, only hinted at.
Is the pacific crest cascades?
The Pacific Crest trail (PCT) is from Mexico to Canada. The PCT is 2,653 miles long. The highest spot is 13,153' at Forester Pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The route passes through 25 national forests and seven national parks.
On the PCT, I took these photos in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State near Stevens Pass.
@LiterateHiker Yes, one of his best. Have yet to see the film based on his book
The Pacific Crest trail seems to be a more serious adventure.
@LiterateHiker I knew the famous pacific coast trail in CA, I did not realize it extened into other ranges, it transverses CA as it is.
Thanks for the info.
My son and his wife were in the CA conservation corp, and were all over the CA side of the trail.
Although I eagerly awaited the release of the film, "A Walk in the Woods," my friend Billie and I were disappointed in the movie. We both loved Bill Bryson's book.
The filmmakers turned it into a stupid, crass "old guy" buddy movie.
@LiterateHiker Wait till they try and do Walden . . .
Many years ago I took my two young boys camping in the Waipio Valley area on the Big Island, Hawaii. We hiked in three valleys over and departed back the next day. Being tired and with the threat of a storm coming I decided to take a shortcut along the shore eliminating a long and dangerous, due to high cliffs by the trail and the required hike up and down across the valleys. As it started to rain and the seas picked up the walkable shore area became more narrow. The rain apparently started to cause small rocks of maybe one half to as much as five pounds to fall from the cliffs maybe one hundred feet up. I could see the exit point approx 150 yards further but it would have required some entry into the ocean in unpredictable seas. The other choice was to retrace our route back through falling rocks and start over. I chose the latter of two ugly choices. Everyone arrived safe but I learned my lesson. Know your route before you get in an unacceptable position.
rogueflyer
Level 8
Nov 11, 2019
2
Hard core survival
Boxdoc
Level 7
Nov 11, 2019
2
"I felt tremendous joy stepping out of my grave and into my life."
Love it. His positive attitude is a lesson for all of us.
Thank you for posting this video.
In 1971 I was sharing a house in the West Highlands with three friends/colleagues. One gloriously sunny February Sunday three of us intended to do hill walking. I had a hangover,not uncommon in those days so I called off. The other two set off but only one came back. They had been traversing a steep slope on frozen snow and one guy must have slipped and slid down the slope and over a cliff. He died from severe head injuries. He was 21 years old.
Neither were experienced hill walkers. both were from the south of England, and neither had crampons or an ice axes.
I still go hill walking in winter but always take an ice axe and crampons. Although the hills here are rarely over 4000 ft in height we can experience arctic conditions most months of the year.
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Moravian
Level 8
Nov 11, 2019
1
@Morovian
You are wise to bring an ice axe and crampons in the winter. I prefer microspikes to heavy crampons.
I made velcro straps to prevent losing microspikes in deep snow.
@LiterateHiker I haven't tried those but I have a set of lightweight flexible crampons that fit on normal walking boots.
I imagine my ancestors on those hills, dressed in wool, evading english armies. I had not envisioned them as "Arctic"
50(-45C)-75 (-60C) F below zero temps? Or just very cold and Icy, windy?
@Davesnothere Sorry. I got a bit carried away. The correct designation is sub arctic for vegetation types and as temps can reach lower than -20C the windchill factor can be as low as -50C.
in 1980 at the age of 30, I took up bull riding. I was hanging out with some old friends of my brothers form high school and doing some ranching. i fooled to peer pressure and gave it a try. I rode amateur for part of a year.
At one point I was thrown and during a ride and landed on my upper back. I immediately blacked out, but came to immediately as well. When I came to I could not breathe and all I could see was a white light. I got up and walked toward the light not aware of anything immediately around me. I later saw on a film that the bull actually came around and butted me again from behind (to this day I have no memory of this part of it). I was was within arms length of the arena railings, but unaware of them as well. I walked about 40 yards to the back of the arena before I finally went down on one knee and my breath came rushing back in. I rode only two bulls after that before I turned in my cowbell and riggin' for good.
My neck hurt tremendously, but being generally averse to doctors (a symptom picked up from my father) I didn't go see a doctor. Nine months later, still in pain, I finally relented. Turns out I had put a green fracture around my spinal column in my 4th lumbar vertebrae. Fortunately, the vertebrae healed satisfactorily and doesn't effect me to this day in any way. I was lucky, as I rode those tow additional bulls with my back broken and I didn't do anymore damage.
This is just one of my adventures, as I spent my 20 and 30's being sort of an Indiana Jones type. I never claimed I was wise. I'm pretty intelligent, but common sense??? Well that's another story. Lol
t1nick
Level 8
Nov 11, 2019
3
You are lucky not to be paralyzed. You're right about common sense.
@LiterateHiker
I'm much better now that I'm older. With age hopefully comes wisdom.
I am aware of what my youthful exuberance may of been had I not been so lucky at times.
I broke my neck like that and did not realize it either. Now its arthitic, (I hope you skip that), sounds like gravel grinding every night.
At 65 I not feeling any adverse effects. I have slight arthritis on my right hand from breaking my fingers a number of time in karate tounaments.
@t1nick Yeah my hands are not so great either, from sparring and training when young and a life of construction/service.
I was hiking with a friend on Mt. Hood. (Oregon), and we came to a place where snow covered the trails at about a 30 degree slope. At the bottom of the slope about a hundreds yards or so down, the snow ended in large rocks and boulders. We decided it was time to turn around and go back rather than risk slipping, as the snow had melted and refrozen several times over making it more ice like than snow like, and we simply did not have the right shoes or equipment to cross it safely.
snytiger6
Level 9
Nov 11, 2019
2
Very wise decision. Well done.
Yes very wise decision
Best wishes to Ryan Cairnes.
Nice photos.
BestWithoutGods
Level 8
Nov 11, 2019
1
Great luck for him. What’s the reason for this post here? No divine intervention? Right?
RobinGray
Level 6
Nov 11, 2019
1
People say they enjoy my hiking stories and photos. The Enchantments are in my backyard.
My username is Literate Hiker. As an atheist since age 13, hiking is a transcendent, spiritual and uplifting experience for me.
@LiterateHikerI am more a fan of trees myself.
@LiterateHiker Nice shots, you have a fine eye.
Thank you so much! I love shady trees in the hot summer.
Yeah? Well, I just stubbed my toe.
So there.
JayOleck38
Level 7
Nov 11, 2019
2
I can relate . . .
@Davesnothere And here I thought I was alone.
I think we need to hug this out, dude.
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