Below is a slightly longer version of my Hill column on my recent hike in the Cleveland National Forest outside of Santa Ana, California. It was the beginning of the heat emergency that is still gripping the area with massive fires and dangerous conditions. I have stayed in contact with my new friends at the Orange County Fire and Rescue and they were kind enough to send some pictures of the rescue. I am told that their biggest problem is that people often do not want to be rescued because they are afraid to be hit with a bill for the rescue. They do not charge. They just want people out of harm’s way and safe.I have previously criticized the charging for rescues in parks because it is discourages people from calling for help. I also view this is one of those essential jobs for the government that is supported by the public through their taxes. Of course, I never thought I would end up being the guy dangling from a helicopter. As I have previously written, these incredible heroes deserve our support and greater funding in doing their critical work as first responders. These men and women are truly inspirations in how they put themselves in harm’s way for others. Where the natural instinct is to run from danger, these people run toward it to help others. They show an unflinching and unyielding courage day in and day out.
In the meantime, I am currently on vacation with my family and we have repeatedly thought of the Orange County Fire and Rescue on this trip. As I spend time with my family, I remember that image of Jim Slikker descending into that ravine. I will never forget it or the debt that I owe him and the Orange County Sheriff’s Fire and Rescue team.
Here is the column:
Day Four of our trip to Hawaii started early with a trip to the Diamond Head crater. This was my second hike up the crater, but the first such venture for the family. We then had a great lunch at Duke’s restaurant in Waikiki and journeyed on to Pearl Harbor. We finished the day with an evening dip back on the North Shore. It felt wonderfully decadent. 
Our third day in Oahu was spectacular. We started by driving to the magnificent the Waimea Valley and the Waimea Arboretum and Botanical Garden. We then walked to the nearby Waimea Beach where kids jump off a high rock into the surf. It was a great day of hiking and just lying on the beach.
As is often my practice, I used an out-of-town speech this week to experience another of our wonderful national parks. With my keynote to the Ninth Circuit scheduled for Monday, I used Sunday to explore the rough remote areas of the Cleveland National Park. I decided to get up early an hike the San Juan and Chiquito Falls trails. It would turn out memorable beyond all of my expectations. With a heat wave hitting the area, the hike in the desert environment was well over 100 degrees with no shade. Despite bringing over a gallon of water in my camel back, I ran out of water on the return of the long hike and ended up with heat stroke . . . and had to be airlifted out after taking a tumble into a ravine. More of that rescue later. All I can say is that I can never repay the Orange County rescue team of the Sheriff’s office and fire department. While I wish I was not the subject of their work, meeting these incredibly heroic first responders was an inspiring experience. I will be writing about that experience separately. While I am now recovering from heat stroke in my hotel, I wanted to share some of the pictures before my embarrassing failure just short of the trail head. 
As many of you know, I like to do dawn hikes particularly on the Billy Goat Trail outside of Washington. I had to share this amazing turtle from this morning. While it is hard to gauge its size, it was huge for a river turtle (almost three feet in length). Indeed, the biggest I have seen outside of the Pacific islands. It was well inland on Bear Island on the side of a boulder.
Day 11 was my hiking day in Hawaii. In the morning, I did one of Hawaii’s famous waterfall hikes followed by a second hike to a crater. I then climbed Diamondhead overlooking Honolulu. I ended the long day by going swimming at Waikiki. I did not wait for changing into a swimsuit. After the three hikes, I was dying to go into the warm green waters and dove in as soon as I made it back. It was great to float in the surf as the sun went down over Waikiki. After cleaning up, I then went back to Waikiki to watch the evening fireworks. They were awesome. You can just lie on the beach and they fire off truly impressive fireworks from a small lagoon. I loved it. It was a great way to spend my final night on the island.
On our final day in Alaska, we woke up in Girdwood and went out for our final hike. We chose Winner’s Trail which we expanded by adding a few miles on the Upper Winner’s trail. It was a wonderful way to cap off so many hikes and sites in Alaska. We then drove to Anchorage to take a late flight.