MOUNT PINOS, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Tony Quach, a 70-year-old seasoned hiker, faced a life-threatening ordeal during a hike in the Mount Pinos area last Thursday. What began as a normal hike quickly turned into a nightmare when Quach found himself lost and without a compass after the trail became too slippery to navigate.
“I just went up there because I bought some turkey jerky for my friend up there, which is the four-legged one,” Quach said, referring to his intended destination. However, his return journey took an unexpected turn, leading him to wander for two hours without direction.
Unable to reach 9-1-1 due to a lack of signal, Quach utilized the SOS feature on his phone, connecting him to emergency services. The operator instructed him to conserve food and stay warm while a rescue team was dispatched. “Set the food, set the water, don’t eat it all. And more importantly, here you have to walk; you can’t stop. You stop, you’ll be an iceman, or you lay down, it’s over. Don’t lie down,” Quach recalled.
As temperatures plummeted to 17 degrees, Quach maintained contact with the operator every half hour, battling despair as darkness fell. “She said if you sleep, it’s over. You won’t wake up. If you stop walking, you’re done,” he was warned repeatedly…