Hiker Caught up a Mountain Wearing Crocs Shares Cautionary Tale

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Two young hikers didn’t expect to get caught up in as much winter weather as they did during what turned out to be a sketchy hike up Mount Charleston in Nevada. Josh Macandog, 21, and Issay Dibaba, 20, set out on the 16-mile Charleston Peak South Trail last month around 8 AM and had planned to return by 5 PM. However, after they reached the summit, the pair’s descent became challenging when it started snowing and they didn’t have the proper gear. In fact, one hiker was wearing Crocs in lieu of proper hiking footwear.

Local news reports that the hikers’ situation became serious when their drinking water froze solid, their phones died, and the ground was slick with snow and ice. Fog affected their visibility, and because the descent took so much more time than they planned, darkness descended and friends awaiting their return worried the pair needed help.

Meanwhile, Macandog and Dibaba decided to share shoes—Macandog swapping one of his hiking boots for one of Dibaba’s Crocs, so they each had at least one shoe with traction as they descended the mountain. They managed to make the descent, and rescue crews were waiting for them in the parking lot.

The hikers required a few weeks to recover physically from the harrowing journey, which could have ended much, much worse. In an interview with News 3 Las Vegas, the pair admits they were ill prepared for the hike and encourage others to learn from their mistakes.

See the full news report about the hikers who nearly got stranded on a snowy mountain in Crocs here:

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