Hiker Dies in the Wave of Appearent Heat-related Conditions

How sad. Once you're to the point of delirium, it's all downhill from there, and it doesn't take long in the kind of heat we're seeing this summer everywhere.
 
very sad but it also confirms that hiking in the desert during this time of year should not be done if you're not familiar with the area or experienced enough dealing with these temperatures.
It's hard to believe that you still can get disoriented on this trail with so many signs nowadays, but I guess we are all used to hikes in remote areas and know how to get along and find our route. Someone who maybe never hiked in the desert before and without proper preparation can easily get into trouble.
 
Awww sad news.
Honestly, I have never hiked in weather above 85 degrees and I was hating life. I can't imagine I would have been experienced enough to do what they tried to do.
 
Miya said:
Awww sad news.
Honestly, I have never hiked in weather above 85 degrees and I was hating life. I can't imagine I would have been experienced enough to do what they tried to do.
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if you start early enough it is usually no big deal.
It's just the heat most people are not used to.
I backpacked last weekend in 112F. But I knew what I was getting into and was prepared for it.
It was still one of the tougher hikes I did because of the heat

unfortunately, many visitors to the desert Southwest underestimate how fast heat can kill and that you really need to be prepared. It's also really important to know the first signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
 
Yvonne said:
if you start early enough it is usually no big deal.
It's just the heat most people are not used to.
I backpacked last weekend in 112F. But I knew what I was getting into and was prepared for it.
It was still one of the tougher hikes I did because of the heat

unfortunately, many visitors to the desert Southwest underestimate how fast heat can kill and that you really need to be prepared. It's also really important to know the first signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
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Oh my gosh...I hate heat and the sun.
Kudos to you *claps*.
I struggle to walk outside in 100 degree weather just to let my dog into the house lol
 
Miya said:
Oh my gosh...I hate heat and the sun.
Kudos to you *claps*.
I struggle to walk outside in 100 degree weather just to let my dog into the house lol
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I'm a sun seeker, but probably spoiled anyway due to the locations where I live.
You get used to it.
But seriously, if it's really hot I start early, really early.
 
Yvonne said:
v
It's hard to believe that you still can get disoriented on this trail with so many signs nowadays, but I guess we are all used to hikes in remote areas and know how to get along and find our route.
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I'm pretty sure he got disoriented because of the heat and not a lack of signs.
 
Reminds me of the 13-year old boy who got lost in the Sand Flats while biking with his dad. SAR followed his tracks and he'd hiked all the way into NB/Grandstaff Cyn in the dark (pretty treacherous from up there even in the daylight) and stopped by the stream, then climbed back out, wandered around a bit, then sat down under a big juniper not real far from the road and died from the heat. Because he was under a tree, no one spotted him from the air. He had shed his clothes along the way, including his shoes, trying to stay cool, plus your clothes feel like fire against your skin when you're dying of hyperthermia.

I lived in Moab at the time and hiked up there every day. I had a nice off-trail route over the slickrock that went right by that tree. One of my SAR friends pointed it out later. (It's not far from the radio tower.) I didn't hike up there during the search because of the SAR efforts. I know I would've seen him if I had, but it would've been too late by then anyway. But he was very disoriented to climb into the canyon and back out, not staying by the stream. It was really sad. His older brother had gotten lost up there the year before but had found his way before SAR was called. They were from somewhere in the Midwest, IIRC.
 
I definitely agree with proper preparation for any desert excursions. I think many times people underestimate things or perhaps do not do their homework. I know when I lived down in NM, there was a couple w/ their kid out hiking White Sands and all they had was a couple 20 oz bottles of water for all three of them. They were out hiking in August and it gets quite toasty there not to mention if you are out in the dunes and going away from the markers you can get lost quick if you are not prepared.

https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/10/us/new-mexico-french-deaths/index.html
 
That's really interesting that they didn't know to look for the boy and his dad after they found the mom's body until they looked at the photos in her camera and realized there were three of them. The boy was very lucky he survived.
 
That specific area seems to have had quite a few heat related deaths in the last ten years or so. Maybe when that elusive permit finally comes it is harder to resist and caught out mid day and beyond this time of year...
 
When I apply for the Wave, they give a good briefing about the dangers and people dying on the trail. I'm sure this guy got the same briefing. They always give a warning.
As an adult, it is his choice to go or not, and it is his responsibility for his safety.
 
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