A father from California witnessed his 14-year-old son walk off a 120-foot cliff. The horrifying accident was allegedly due to altitude sickness, leading to the teen son hallucinating and seeing “snowmen and Kermit the Frog.” Since then, the boy has been in a medically induced coma.
Videos by Suggest
14-Year-Old Hallucinated “Kermit the Frog” During Mount Whitney Hike
According to SFGate, Ryan Wach and his son Zane from Santa Clarita went hiking on Mount Whitney on June 10. They climbed using the Mountaineer’s Route, described as a shorter but more advanced trail. The duo is both experienced hikers, so they thought it would be a breeze.
But Zane had never hiked Mount Whitney before. Ryan was sure his son would be fine tackling the trek. “He’s in better shape than I am,” said Ryan. “The idea was that this would be kind of like his introduction to mountaineering.”
During the difficult hike, Zane began showing symptoms of altitude sickness. That’s when his father decided to head back the easier way.
“He started to experience some hallucinations,” said Ryan. “He knew he was hallucinating. He said he saw things like snowmen and Kermit the Frog.”
At this point, the father-son duo had tackled the toughest parts of the hike. They were just a few miles away from where their car was parked. The father recalled Zane feeling “considerably better” upon reaching Mount Whitney’s Trail Camp.
One hour later, Zane was beginning to hallucinate even worse. “He was in an altered mental state, and I don’t know what caused it,” said Ryan. “We still don’t know. My best guess is a combination of exhaustion, sleep deprivation, probably some dehydration and lasting effects from the altitude sickness. But he essentially started to doubt reality.”
Ryan and Zane eventually had to stop because the son was sure that they had “already finished the hike multiple times over.” His father described Zane’s behavior as “completely bizarre,” as he couldn’t tell if he was dreaming or not.
“He would shake his head in disbelief, like, ‘This is not real.’ Like he was in the movie ‘Inception’ or something,” said the father.
Father Watches Son Walk Off 120-Foot Cliff Edge From Altitude Sickness
Another hiker group decided to contact search and rescue teams. Before they could arrive, Ryan watched his son begin to make “erratic” movements toward a cliff ledge. Ryan grabbed his son, and Zane told him he was heading toward the car. Their vehicle was several thousand feet down the trail, but in the direction of the steep ledge.
This continued for a while, making Ryan “scared and frustrated.” He said, “I had to wipe away tears. I was holding my hands to my eyes, and he walked off again. This time, I didn’t hear it until he was about at the edge, and when I went to reach for him, he was 10 feet away from me. I couldn’t get him, and he walked off the edge.”
The father ran to where Zane fell 120 feet off the slope. Ariana, a nearby hiker and EMT, helped coordinate rescue efforts. Ryan had to wait for six hours with his injured son until Inyo County Search & Rescue teams arrived.
A helicopter transferred Zane to Sunrise Children’s Hospital in Las Vegas, where he now remains in a medically induced coma. On top of his head trauma, Zane suffered from a broken ankle, finger, and a section of his pelvis.
Although Zane is now recovering, the Wach family has set up a GoFundMe to help cover the medical costs. The fundraiser has now raised over $25,000 and is 90% of the way to its goal.