LOS ANGELES — The last thing Ruth Woroniecki remembers before waking up bleeding on the snow, surrounded by a group of worried hikers, is telling herself to focus on the slippery trail at her feet.
It was a sunny and clear Christmas Eve morning, and Woroniecki was hiking the San Gabriel Mountains. She'd summited Cucamonga Peak, one of Los Angeles' most popular mountaintops, which rises more than 8,000 feet, when she came upon an icy switchback on her descent. "I did not have traction," Woroniecki, 40, said. She put her phone and headphones away and gripped her hiking sticks.
"I wasn't in 'enjoy hike' mode anymore," she said. Her heart beat faster as she told herself to concentrate on her footing.
