Reaching 1,000 summits, hikers make the final climb for 78-year-old mountaineer
By his count, Seuk Doo Kim has climbed Mt. Baldy nearly 750 times and aims to log 1,000 summits by next year.
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Some 200 hikers summited Mt. Baldy in a memorial Saturday for the late Seuk Doo Kim, the hiker from Culver City who climbed the mountain nearly 800 times. Kim, 78, died last month after falling from the north side of the 10,064-foot mountain. Saturday’s hikers symbolically finished the remaining 200 summits Kim had to reach his goal of 1,000.
Los Angeles-area hikers gather for a group photo as they honor the late and legendary Sam Kim during a memorial hike of Mt. Baldy, symbolically completing his dream of 1,000 summits.
Mt. Baldy's 10,064-foot summit has snow and temperatures in the 60s as the L.A. basin swelters below.
Hikers make their way up to the summit of Mt. Baldy, where the late and legendary Sam Kim was honored during a memorial hike.
By his count, Sam Kim had climbed Mt. Baldy nearly 750 times and aimed to log 1,000 summits by next year.
Sam Kim near the summit of Mt. Baldy.
“If you go to Baldy tomorrow, you will run into him,” said his son David Kim. “You will never see another man who loves hiking or who is as obsessed with hiking as him.”
Sam Kim off trail, up a steep slope on the approach to Mt. Baldy.
Kim at the San Antonio Ski Hut at 8,300 feet.
“I’m feeling God’s embrace — this is better than church,” Sam Kim said on the way up. “My shortcut is the Holy Spirit.”
Sam Kim atop Mt. Baldy.
Sam Kim with the flag of his native South Korea.
Sam Kim had made the journey more than 240 times this year alone.
Sam Kim's favorite snacks included spicy Cheetos and Funyuns.
Sam’s enthusiasm for the 10,064-foot mountain — the highest point in the San Gabriel range and Los Angeles County — inspired dozens of hikers to share stories on blogs and social media.
Kim off trail, up a steep, rocky slope on the approach to Mt. Baldy.
Kim hiking down Mt. Baldy, with sunset light bathing the shoulders of the San Gabriel Mountains.
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