Hiker Who Died After Snowstorm Is Remembered

Kortney Zeman, the 23-year-old Pomona woman who on Wednesday became the eighth person to die in Southern California mountains this year, was described as a soft-spoken environmentalist who was passionate about social justice and the antiwar movement.

She was one of 15 residents of an environmentally oriented cooperative in Pomona that gained notoriety last year after the FBI arrested one of its members under suspicion of vandalizing sport utility vehicle dealerships in the San Gabriel Valley.

“She was like a delicate flower,” said Josh Connole, the 25-year-old co-op resident who was arrested last September and released after three days in jail.

“I remember, when I got out of jail, she was the most tired looking,” Connole said. “She looked like she was up for days trying to get me out.”

Zeman died in a hospital of hypothermia after being trapped in a snowstorm overnight. She and her boyfriend set out hiking Tuesday morning for the Deep Creek Hot Springs area near Hesperia, a destination they had never been to but that some of their housemates were familiar with.

Friends said Zeman and her boyfriend were alone. Tracy Martinez, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino Fire Department, said Friday that rescuers might have incorrectly reported that Zeman and her boyfriend were accompanied by two friends.

Zeman recently got a job as a waitress at a Walnut golf course, her family said. On Sundays she cooked vegetarian meals for the homeless in Pomona. She brightened the co-op with flowers and candles, and her recent vegan chocolate, apple and peanut butter pie had dazzled her housemates, they said.

Zeman grew up in Billings, Mont. After high school she moved to Arizona, where she was active with Amnesty International. She was a talented pottery maker and had interests in art and philosophy. Zeman followed a friend to California a year and a half ago.

“I think she was always looking for an adventure,” said Kandice Zeman, Kortney’s older sister. “And I think the house really offered her a lot of purpose and direction.”

Kortney Zeman and her boyfriend spent the night in an abandoned truck after they became disoriented in the storm. The boyfriend, who declined to be interviewed, woke up and found that Zeman was unconscious, said Emily Lutz, who also lives at the co-op.

She said he tried to administer CPR and then ran down the mountain for help. He found passersby who used their cellphone to call 911. Zeman was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center.

“It was one of those crazy things where one thing after another didn’t go right,” Kandice Zeman said. “She had blankets, socks, a coat and a fire starter in her car.”