Final words of teen after hallucination confirmed.
It started as a rite of passage — a bonding adventure between a father and his athletic 14-year-old son.
Mount Whitney’s dangers highlighted.
Mount Whitney rises over 14,500 feet above sea level — thin air, low oxygen, and harsh terrain are routine.
Altitude sickness can affect anyone — symptoms include confusion, hallucinations, even death.
Despite the trail’s popularity, the risks are real — and underestimated.
In most cases, descent helps. But for Zane, it came too late.
Father-son hiking trip explained.
Ryan Wach and his son Zane set out to conquer Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous U.S.
Zane was no rookie — he was a seasoned athlete, a swimmer, triathlete, and cross-country runner.
“He’s in better shape than I am,” Ryan told SFGate confidently.
The hike up went as expected — tough, scenic, and unforgettable.
But altitude doesn’t care how fit you are.
As they began their descent, Zane started showing mild symptoms — fatigue, disorientation.
His dad opted to reroute them to a less grueling path, hoping it would help.
Teen’s hallucinations detailed.
Then came the hallucinations — weird, vivid, and terrifying.
“He told me he saw Kermit the Frog,” Ryan recalled, shaken.
Zane was still aware enough to admit something was wrong.
For a moment, things seemed to improve — Zane’s energy picked up, his mind seemed clearer.
Teen’s last words unveiled.
Zane suddenly told his father they’d “already finished the hike multiple times.”
He began shaking his head, saying he couldn’t tell what was real anymore.
Ryan said it felt like his son was trapped in a movie — like “Inception.”
Other hikers noticed Zane’s erratic behavior and called for search and rescue.
Things escalated rapidly — Zane began dragging his feet, moving like a sleepwalker.
Then, he suddenly said he was “going to the car” — though it was thousands of feet below.
Ryan stopped him from stepping off the trail. But Zane tried again — this time saying he was heading for “dinner.”
His father was exhausted, overwhelmed, and emotionally drained.
As Ryan wiped tears from his face, he let go of Zane — just for a moment.
“I didn’t hear it until he was at the edge,” Ryan said.
He turned and saw his son 10 feet away — already falling.
Zane fell 120 feet down a jagged, rocky slope.
Ryan scrambled after him, reaching his broken body with help from a nearby EMT.
Zane lay on the mountain for six hours as rescue crews worked to stabilize and extract him.
Teen in coma after deadly fall.
He was airlifted to a local hospital, then flown to Sunrise Children’s Hospital in Las Vegas.
Doctors said it’s “fairly miraculous” Zane survived at all — but he remains in a coma, fighting for his life.