Getting lost and fighting the elements and exposure until you go crazy from hunger and dehydration and die is not something anyone would love.
He died hating himself for being so stupid as to get himself killed hiking. We're all human beings and none of us is that bright, but most of us don't get ourselves killed with time enough to contemplate how stupid we really are.
Never surprises me how classless and despicable you can get.
shareI think he died think something along the lines of, "Fuck, the weather turned bad fast."
Could it have been deliberate? Wouldn't an experienced hiker know his route, or have a Garmin or Navigator or something.
shareFrom what I've read he did know the trails. Sounds like he got overcome by the conditions. We'll find out more if they release the autopsy results.
shareI see only three possibilities in that case. One would be that he didn't pack the right gear to deal with harsh winter weather conditions. People can survive even arctic conditions if they are prepared for it. So if its not a matter of getting himself lost -- which he shouldn't have if he knew the area well -- he possibly wasn't prepared for a sudden and unpredicted change for the worse in weather conditions.
The second possibility is that he broke his leg, or had some other injury that made it impossible to hike back out to safety. Not a pleasant possibility to contemplate, as it would likely mean a protracted death from dehydration or exposure.
The third possibility is that encountered a mountain lion.
Perhaps I am overlooking a fourth possibility or even a fifth or sixth, but this is all that occurs to me.
i choose to believe when the impending death realization came over him, he cracked open his thermos, poured himself a cap of tea, and reveled in his memories of what a beautiful life he'd led