Beloved owner of Forestville market dies hiking Mount Whitney

Sahaj Singh Saggu, the owner of Speer’s Market in Forestville, died over the weekend after being hit by a falling rock while hiking Mount Whitney, California’s tallest peak.

Saggu, a Santa Rosa resident and graduate of Montgomery High School, was eight days shy of his 27th birthday.

An experienced hiker, Saggu had “just hiked Mount Shasta last month,” said Krystin Jones, an employee at Speer’s Market, adding that he also enjoyed running, pickleball, basketball and golf.

He took over ownership of Speer’s after the former owner, Raj Sandhu, retired in 2021. The market was established in the 1930s by the Speer family, who owned and operated the store for years.

“He changed up the whole store and brought new life to it,” said Austin Remington, a Speer’s Market employee of seven years. “He had this positive energy about him. He remembered every customer’s name.”

Jones said she had never worked with a boss like Saggu. “He was so supportive. I’ve worked with other employers before but none of them understood what it means to be a mother of three,” she said. “He really let me put my family first.”

Jones said Saggu empowered her to start her own housecleaning business and was her first client.

“The type of person he is … it’s just unheard of, especially for his age,” Jones said.

Saggu was hiking the rugged North Fork of Lone Pine Creek on Sunday when he was struck by rockfall, according to the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office sent out its search and rescue team, accompanied by a California Highway Patrol helicopter. The team retrieved his body and brought it back to Lone Pine, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Saggu’s death was the third fatality on Mount Whitney in a week.

The North Fork of Lone Pine Creek Trail is known to be a primitive trail, with steep terrain.

“Early spring conditions prevail on the mountain, with treacherous steep snow, loose rock and variable weather,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement following Saggu’s death. “Parties venturing onto Mount Whitney should stay together, turn around before deteriorating conditions become unmanageable, make responsible decisions and be prepared and fit.”

Lindsey Stine, community relations liaison with the Sheriff’s Office said this time of year is known as “run-off season” at Mt. Whitney.

Stine said some areas of the mountain are at high risk of rock slides due to melting snow that turns to water and loosens rocks from their place.

“This can cause potential hazards for stepping and hiking in the area,” Stine said in an email.

Stine also noted that mid-May kicks off the busy season for Mt. Whitney.

“It is certainly the time of year when hikers from all over the world are coming to the area to hike Mt. Whitney,” she said.

Services are set for 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 21, at Daniels Chapel of the Roses Funeral Home at 1225 Sonoma Ave. in Santa Rosa.

Amie Windsor is the Community Journalism Team Lead with The Press Democrat. She can be reached at amie.windsor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5218.