I am so stunning by reading this news. I used to live in southern CA for yrs and some hiking trails in the attached articles trigger my memory. The pix are from Cucamonga Peak, which is a popular trail. From one of the pix, a large trunk of wood, it splits to three directions.
The mtns in southern CA have less trees than NW Pacific. The trails are better maintained and the off-trails are steeper than here and more dangerous. I do not see any reason for anyone to get off trail.