Man Talking on Cell Phone Walks off Cliff on Mt. Whitney

Thanks to Wesley, my Shasta partner and future Rainier buddy (I hope), for sending in this story.

Cell phone usage while driving can be dangerous, but a man on Mt. Whitney proved that cell phone usage and hiking can be just as hazardous.

A 28-year-old man walked off a 25-foot cliff while talking on his cell phone. The man from Brea, Southern California (about 10 minutes from where I live), already reached the summit and was on the switchbacks above Lone Pine Lake when his phone rang.

The man was talking on the phone and walked right off the trail and over a 25-foot cliff.

Inyo County search and rescue volunteers and China Lake Mountain Rescue Group reached the man after midnight. He was complaining of back pain and head injuries.

Rescue teams packaged the man onto a litter wheelbarrow and hoofed him down the trail. They reached the trailhead 2 ½ hours later.

Read the story here.