91-year-old Pierce County resident conquers one of nation’s most dangerous hikes
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- David Pine, 91, reached the summit of Angels Landing at Zion National Park.
- Angels Landing is a 5.4-mile round-trip trail with 1,488 feet of elevation gain.
- The trail has a reputation of being one of the most dangerous in the United States.
Having spent 10 years as a fighter pilot, David Pine is no stranger to taking risks.
The 91-year-old resident of Heron’s Key, a retirement community in Gig Harbor, was the only one in his party to make it to the summit of Angels Landing during his visit in May. Many consider the popular trail in Zion National Park to be one of the most dangerous hikes in the country because of its steep ascent and drop-offs.
“I have enjoyed things that challenge me,” Pine said in an interview May 18. “And I saw a picture of this trail, Angels Landing, and thought, I gotta do that sometime.”
The trail’s name comes from its height — “so high that ‘only angels could land there,’” according to the Zion National Park website. It’s 5.4 miles round-trip and has an elevation gain of 1,488 feet, the National Park Service reports. With 18 confirmed fatalities over the trail’s history, it’s a risky hike up the cliffs overlooking Zion Canyon, though the trail has chains for hikers to hold onto.
Pine hiked Angels Landing for the first time in 2024, at age 89. Last year, he went back with his son, grandson and a friend at Heron’s Key, but they only got partway there because the drizzly conditions weren’t safe. He returned a third time with the same group in May, at age 91. Each time, he went with a guide from Epic One Adventures, Pine wrote in a text message.
He had a mission this time: leaving something at the top in honor of his son-in-law, Houston Dougharty, who died about a year ago. Dougharty worked for years at the University of Puget Sound, starting in admissions and later returning as associate dean of students, and was recognized for his contributions in an article last spring.
“I had found a nice little pebble, about the size of a nickel, much thicker, but about that size,” Pine said. “And I wanted to leave that as high as I could get in honor of him.”
He found a place to jam the pebble in a little crevice. It’s “going to be here for a thousand years or more,” he said.
The challenges of ascending Angels Landing include plenty of switchbacks, the altitude change from sea level and the steep section with chains to “keep you from going off the edge,” he told The News Tribune.
The News Tribune asked Pine if more hikes are in his future.
“I had hoped to do it in October when I turned 92, but I don’t think I should,” Pine said. “I just got completely wiped out on that trip, just exhausted. Made it safely, though. That’s the primary thing.”
For now, Pine hopes to go on more hikes locally with his family, he said.
