sad news from the Wave.

[Laura]

I think the best bet for safe travel in hot weather is to do as the animals do. Be active early in the morning and late in the day and take cover from the sun during the heat of day.

That's the smartest advice I've ever heard! That's exactly what I'm going to do when I'm out there in a few weeks.

 

[Yvonne]

one of the reasons I start my hikes here in the desert usually around 4:30 in the morning or late in the evening.
Bring a head lamp and you're more than good to hike in the dark.
Even a hike at night on a moon lit night is a wonderful experience. If you can manage to head out during a full moon or almost full moon you will get one of the most intensive desert experiences ever.

 

[Howells Outdoors]

one of the reasons I start my hikes here in the desert usually around 4:30 in the morning or late in the evening.
Bring a head lamp and you're more than good to hike in the dark.
Even a hike at night on a moon lit night is a wonderful experience. If you can manage to head out during a full moon or almost full moon you will get one of the most intensive desert experiences ever.

Chelsea and I did that earlier this summer when I had permits. It was awesome! To get this photo:

 

[baltocharlie]

one of the reasons I start my hikes here in the desert usually around 4:30 in the morning or late in the evening.
Bring a head lamp and you're more than good to hike in the dark.
Even a hike at night on a moon lit night is a wonderful experience. If you can manage to head out during a full moon or almost full moon you will get one of the most intensive desert experiences ever.

You are so right about the full moon. I have had some of my best hikes, bike rides, paddles, ski trips in full moon. Eerie but peaceful. Easy to see and never crowded.

 

[Dave]

one of the reasons I start my hikes here in the desert usually around 4:30 in the morning or late in the evening.
Bring a head lamp and you're more than good to hike in the dark.
Even a hike at night on a moon lit night is a wonderful experience. If you can manage to head out during a full moon or almost full moon you will get one of the most intensive desert experiences ever.

Going out at night prompts the same questions as going out solo: isn't that dangerous? Aren't you worried something will happen?

For people experienced in backcountry travel, the answer is usually no to both questions. But for people who have difficulty navigating their way to The Wave during daylight, recommending they do it at night might be a bit much.

 

[Yvonne]

Going out at night prompts the same questions as going out solo: isn't that dangerous? Aren't you worried something will happen?

For people experienced in backcountry travel, the answer is usually no to both questions. But for people who have difficulty navigating their way to The Wave during daylight, recommending they do it at night might be a bit much.

I totally agree with you, but my post was an immediate response for @Laura and her concern about her upcoming trip.
And I'm pretty sure she will have some experience as a photographer to get to her places to shoot at.

For someone unfamiliar with the area and the desert at all it isn't an option. There will always be people who will get lost on trails, not only the Wave. You see it on the weirdest places where you basically can't get lost.
And they will always be ill prepared, underestimate the heat, the trail, the whole thing.
And because places like the Wave are so popular by tourists from everywhere on this planet, more accidents like this will happen.

 

[Laura]

I think it's way too easy, especially as a city dweller, to think that if you're taking the right precautions you'll be okay but as the episode at Grand Staircase shows you can do what you're "supposed" to do and still get overcome. And for those who underestimate the backcountry well, there's really only so much you can do to warn people. People who aren't familiar with the outdoors don't understand that when you go out into the backcountry or even on a hike you're assuming the risk of whatever happens and need to be able to take care of yourself. Google some of the accidents that happen every year in Yosemite and some of the cluelessness will blow your mind (who would think of swimming in a fast moving river 50m from a 300 foot waterfall? Every year at least one person does it and goes over, despite warnings posted not to swim there. ) But assuming the risks and taking care of yourself is exactly why some of us do go out there.

The idea of a night hike w/a moon is fantastically tempting and sounds like a wonderful experience. But I wouldn't do it without being prepared to stay there if I had to. If they find my body somewhere, I at least want my obituary to say I knew what I was doing. And I hope they find some awesome pics on my camera.

 

[Howells Outdoors]

I think it's way too easy, especially as a city dweller, to think that if you're taking the right precautions you'll be okay but as the episode at Grand Staircase shows you can do what you're "supposed" to do and still get overcome. And for those who underestimate the backcountry well, there's really only so much you can do to warn people. People who aren't familiar with the outdoors don't understand that when you go out into the backcountry or even on a hike you're assuming the risk of whatever happens and need to be able to take care of yourself. Google some of the accidents that happen every year in Yosemite and some of the cluelessness will blow your mind (who would think of swimming in a fast moving river 50m from a 300 foot waterfall? Every year at least one person does it and goes over, despite warnings posted not to swim there. ) But assuming the risks and taking care of yourself is exactly why some of us do go out there.

The idea of a night hike w/a moon is fantastically tempting and sounds like a wonderful experience. But I wouldn't do it without being prepared to stay there if I had to. If they find my body somewhere, I at least want my obituary to say I knew what I was doing. And I hope they find some awesome pics on my camera.

That's well said.

People, myself included, forget that this ain't Disney land and at any moment something could happen that changes the trip to a near fatal or fatal experience. And those risks well always be there (Good news is they are substantially less risky then driving on a freeway)

 

[pixie1339]

I think it's way too easy, especially as a city dweller, to think that if you're taking the right precautions you'll be okay but as the episode at Grand Staircase shows you can do what you're "supposed" to do and still get overcome. And for those who underestimate the backcountry well, there's really only so much you can do to warn people. People who aren't familiar with the outdoors don't understand that when you go out into the backcountry or even on a hike you're assuming the risk of whatever happens and need to be able to take care of yourself.

People, myself included, forget that this ain't Disney land and at any moment something could happen that changes the trip to a near fatal or fatal experience. And those risks well always be there (Good news is they are substantially less risky then driving on a freeway)

Both of these statements pretty much sum it up. There is inherent risk in any activity, especially driving on the freeway. The best anyone can do is to try to be prepared for the conditions you put yourself into. Despite the efforts of our government to sanitize the wilderness for your protection, people will still get hurt and sometimes die. That includes people who "did everything right." It bewilders me a little that each backcountry death seems to lead to a call for action.

 

[Laura]

It bewilders me a little that each backcountry death seems to lead to a call for action.

I agree completely. It's as though there is some fault somewhere, but sometimes there isn't. The outdoors is risky, as it should be.

 

[WasatchWill]

I had the same thought when seeing a picture of the latest fatal. Weight is relevant in the sense that heat-related problems are related to cardiovascular stress.

That said, I'm skinny as a twig and have had a close call or two with heat exhaustion. It's a combination of heat and exertion and anyone can over-exert.

In one case, I was well-hydrated but my body simply stopped processing the liquid. Very scary feeling.

Agreed. I'm a skinny but relatively fit person myself too and actually experienced what I think was a bad case of dehydration last night. I live right near the base of Slate Canyon in Provo and wanted to go from Slate Canyon to Y Mountain trailhead, head up Slide Canyon, then loop over and out of Slate Canyon. So I ventured out yesterday afternoon about 4 PM thinking I could do it in 4 hours and be back before sundown. I took a pack with two liters of water but failed to remember a bag of trail mix I meant to take as well. I followed the BST from Slate Canyon trailhead to Y Mtn, then up the Y (by far the most strenuous stretch) and up into Slide Canyon. Never being up that far, I was going just off a map. I got up to a meadow where the trail was covered up by dense wildflowers and so on. By then it had already been almost 3 hours and rather than push further up my intended route, I turned back and came down the Y trail. Once I got to the bottom of the Y, I really started to feel exhausted.

I kept sipping from my water, but ended up running out on my way back along the BST to Slate Canyon. I started to feel some nausea, more tired, and started having dry heaves. Once I reached the Slate Canyon Trailhead, even though I was less than a mile from home, I was feeling so miserable that I resorted to calling my wife to come pick me up. Once home, it took me over an hour to feel recovered and get my appetite back after laying down and sipping away a liter of water, a can of soda, and a drink mix. In hindsight, I realized I had skipped out on lunch earlier in the day because I was busy taking care of some other things around the house. I've done tons of day hikes in my lifetime (I was even down in the desert at Calf Creek this last Saturday carrying a child on my back both ways) and never experienced the level of fatigue, exhaustion, dehydration and the scary feeling that comes with it as I did last night. Luckily for me, the sun was blocked by some nice clouds out west while I was on my way back along the BST, otherwise I or someone else may have been calling 911.

I've learned my lesson: Never begin a hike on an empty stomach, don't forget some snacks for the trail, and always take more water then you think you'll need. It's not that I set out that way intentionally or that I was ignorant, but I now know from first-hand experience the importance of being more prepared, no matter your fitness level.

 

[WasatchWill]

Great points being made in this discussion. When somebody dies in a car accident, tragic as it it, that freeway or road isn't permanently shut down as if the road or freeway it occurred on should be held at fault. In the same sense, whenever someone assumes the risk of entering out into a wilderness area and loses their life, that whole area shouldn't be permanently shut down. It's sad that just that has happened with a couple of caves here in the Utah Valley area over the last several years. Both Provo Cave and Nutty Putty Cave, both naturally occurring caves, were closed off and sealed as a result of people getting stuck in them and not making it back out alive. I wonder if those who lost their lives in them would have wanted them sealed off from allowing anyone else access to them.

I'm glad to read that permanently restricting access from Coyote Buttes isn't an option being seriously considered. It's certainly appropriate for agencies like the BLM to do a review of their protocol and so forth each time one of these tragedies happen, especially when they start to become more frequent, but in no way should access ever be shut off for good. Perhaps some cairns marking the way would be in order for a place as frequently visited as that. I know I've been in areas where I've been thankful for them, but I know in other places, they can sometime actually lead you astray from your intended route. It's a hard call to make though, because cairns in an area promoted as being so primitive and mostly in the same condition as it has been over the last several hundred years would certainly take away from that primitive feel and experience. In the mean time, my heart goes out to the husband who lost his wife and the children who lost their mother down there this last week.

 

[Dave]

Latest from the BLM:

St. George, Utah—The Paria Canyon Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, most notably the Coyote Buttes area, is an exceptionally beautiful and fragile place with high public demand for access. The BLM will continue to issue a limited number of permits allowing visitors to Coyote Buttes and the popular “Wave”. The permit system assures the BLM can advise visitors of the inherent dangers and necessary preparations for a trek into the wilderness.
“As a part of the permitting process, the BLM provides to each permit holder safety briefings and information concerning the arduous nature of the hike and the potentially dangerous conditions related to heat and other climatic factors,” said BLM Arizona Strip District Manager Scott Florence. “Visitor safety is always BLM’s number one priority,” Florence said. The tragic recent hiking fatalities reinforce the importance of the current permit system, which assures that all visitors receive relevant information regarding the risks related to hiking in any backcountry or wilderness area.
The BLM has completed an analysis of the circumstances surrounding these tragic events. As a result, the BLM has identified the following actions to enhance visitor safety messaging to be implemented immediately:

• Translate informational/safety brochures and video into the major languages of foreign visitors (already in progress).
• Revise the BLM Arizona and Utah webpages to put greater emphasis on safety (such as emphasizing the difficulty of the hike to the Wave).
• Develop a new safety interpretive sign at the Wire Pass trailhead.
• Produce a condensed version of the current safety video to be shown at the Kanab Visitor Center (before or after the walk-in lottery) and featured more prominently on the BLM websites.

Other longer term actions are being considered and could be implemented after further internal discussion and analysis.

 

[Dan_85]

Thankfully not another death, but seems an elderly gentleman took a fall and ended up spending two nights out in Coyote Buttes. Given that he wasn't spotted by hikers for two days he seemingly took a fairly significant wrong turn somewhere...

http://fox13now.com/2014/05/04/crew...th-diabetes-who-spent-2-nights-in-wilderness/

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Given that he wasn't spotted by hikers for two days he seemingly took a fairly significant wrong turn somewhere...

Is there such a thing as a 'wrong turn' in Coyote Buttes North? Well, I guess if all you want to do is see The Wave and then head back...but that's no fun!

 

[Howells Outdoors]

He must've gotten way off course. They have someone from the BLM out there to hike it everyday.

 

[Carlos]

I hiked the Wave in February and I will again in July and I would never EVER hike in there without a GPS map of the route, specially since I am a solo hiker. And also, with a backpack full of water; yes, I saw people with little water bottles. Many of these people don't even realize that the desert sand is not picnic to walk on either. And combine that with the sun.
I wish there was a way to force people to only be allowed to hike with GPS and large amounts of water.

 

[Carlos]

Is there such a thing as a 'wrong turn' in Coyote Buttes North? Well, I guess if all you want to do is see The Wave and then head back...but that's no fun!

the way back is pretty confusing to a tourist hiker. And The Wave is not a casual area to hike : (((

 

[Carlos]

Agreed. I'm a skinny but relatively fit person myself too and actually experienced what I think was a bad case of dehydration last night. I live right near the base of Slate Canyon in Provo and wanted to go from Slate Canyon to Y Mountain trailhead, head up Slide Canyon, then loop over and out of Slate Canyon. So I ventured out yesterday afternoon about 4 PM thinking I could do it in 4 hours and be back before sundown. I took a pack with two liters of water but failed to remember a bag of trail mix I meant to take as well. I followed the BST from Slate Canyon trailhead to Y Mtn, then up the Y (by far the most strenuous stretch) and up into Slide Canyon. Never being up that far, I was going just off a map. I got up to a meadow where the trail was covered up by dense wildflowers and so on. By then it had already been almost 3 hours and rather than push further up my intended route, I turned back and came down the Y trail. Once I got to the bottom of the Y, I really started to feel exhausted.

I kept sipping from my water, but ended up running out on my way back along the BST to Slate Canyon. I started to feel some nausea, more tired, and started having dry heaves. Once I reached the Slate Canyon Trailhead, even though I was less than a mile from home, I was feeling so miserable that I resorted to calling my wife to come pick me up. Once home, it took me over an hour to feel recovered and get my appetite back after laying down and sipping away a liter of water, a can of soda, and a drink mix. In hindsight, I realized I had skipped out on lunch earlier in the day because I was busy taking care of some other things around the house. I've done tons of day hikes in my lifetime (I was even down in the desert at Calf Creek this last Saturday carrying a child on my back both ways) and never experienced the level of fatigue, exhaustion, dehydration and the scary feeling that comes with it as I did last night. Luckily for me, the sun was blocked by some nice clouds out west while I was on my way back along the BST, otherwise I or someone else may have been calling 911.

I've learned my lesson: Never begin a hike on an empty stomach, don't forget some snacks for the trail, and always take more water then you think you'll need. It's not that I set out that way intentionally or that I was ignorant, but I now know from first-hand experience the importance of being more prepared, no matter your fitness level.

totally agree, take lots of water, even it is a gigantic pain to carry all that weight. I hiked Buckskin Gulch last year during that 120F heat wave and the last 4 miles I literally was struggling and the thing that saved the day was all that water that I carried on my backpack.

 

[Dave]

I wish there was a way to force people to only be allowed to hike with GPS and large amounts of water.

IMO, good routefinding/decision making skills are more important than tech. That being said, a GPS receiver and paper map are important safety gear on any trip into the backcountry.