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Hiking deaths...kind of a vent thread. :(

JimG

JimG

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Ok, so I live in the Phoenix area and do lots of hiking. The heat is a major issue once the weather gets hot.
In the winter, temps are not an issue unless you're hiking in higher elevations (possible cold).

Every year, people die hiking due to heat. The Grand Canyon as well. Just this week....36 yr old woman from Indiana.
Last summer, a local physician died on a trail hiking while it was above 100!

I just can't understand why people don't get this and continue to die for no reason. :oops:

www.usatoday.com

Woman dies trying to hike Grand Canyon trail to Colorado River and back in one day, park says

A hiker was found dead on the Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon National Park after trying to trek to the Colorado River and back in one day.
www.usatoday.com www.usatoday.com
 
Wow, good buy on Ritz crackers.



I think overheating is pretty tricky, because you're all right until you're not. I was just reading an article on sweating in Men's Health -- which I'm pretty sure qualifies me as a physician. It is so complicated -- no visible way to track core temperatures. Sweating complicates things by forcing changes on your blood chemistry, but even replacing fluids is complicated while under heat stress with electrolytes and sodium integral to that process.

Of course, there are also just stupid people (unprepared), but nature does have a way of weeding those out of the reproduction pool.
 
I ride year round. People often ask me how in the world do I ride when the heat index is 100 or even higher? Easy I tell them, when you ride year round you get acclimated to the weather on both extremes. I've also ridden in 26 degree weather. It is what it is.

If you haven't done anything outside for months and you decide to go hiking or riding in hot weather you're just asking for trouble.
 
JimG said:
Ok, so I live in the Phoenix area and do lots of hiking. The heat is a major issue once the weather gets hot.
In the winter, temps are not an issue unless you're hiking in higher elevations (possible cold).

Every year, people die hiking due to heat. The Grand Canyon as well. Just this week....36 yr old woman from Indiana.
Last summer, a local physician died on a trail hiking while it was above 100!

I just can't understand why people don't get this and continue to die for no reason. :oops:

www.usatoday.com

Woman dies trying to hike Grand Canyon trail to Colorado River and back in one day, park says

A hiker was found dead on the Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon National Park after trying to trek to the Colorado River and back in one day.
www.usatoday.com www.usatoday.com
Click to expand...
It's called pushing yourself for a reason, sometimes we push to hard, if you hike Murphy may have you on a trail thinking about this post one day. If you love hiking that is ok, if not quit hiking!
 
A friend took me up to the Snowbird ski resort in Salt Lake City some years ago in the early summer. The ski runs are popular with mountain bikers in the summertime. We took the tram up to the top of a mountain and you could hear the runoff from the melting snow for miles around. It was fantastic.

I remember one of the park workers saying it was pretty common for people to hike down into the surrounding valleys with just a bottle of water and get into trouble.

I am fair-skinned with freckles and made a dedicated effort to exercise either in the morning or late afternoon after I had some skin cancer places removed about 20 years ago. No problems since. I usually wear a nice straw hat if I have to work in the yard in the middle of the day.

I used to run 5 miles every other day up until a few years ago, so with me it's more about the sun than the heat. Eating clean also helps along with proper hydration if you're exercising in the extreme heat, too. I also remember a thread on CT some years ago about how doing squats on a regular basis was great for explosive running. That seem to help with hiking uphill in extreme to me as well. JMO
 
kingofnerf said:
A friend took me up to the Snowbird ski resort in Salt Lake City some years ago in the early summer.
Click to expand...
That's a fun tram ride. Crazy to be 65 & windy & it be 95+ over in SLC.
Yea, you have to know how much water to bring.
 
Boils down to people being unprepared. Same things happens with cool weather, when people go out without any gear, and end up with hypothermia.
 
Spur's Addiction said:
Boils down to people being unprepared. Same things happens with cool weather, when people go out without any gear, and end up with hypothermia.
Click to expand...
There is no wind in many canyon valleys as well. Also the evening shade comes out sooner in the valleys late in the day depending on the position of the sun overhead. It's definitely something to consider in the fall and winter months.
 
Hiking Joshua Tree National Park in a four-sedan with your dog during flash flooding.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RTTCkq3JmU

The road appears to run perpendicular to the wash areas on the topography map and there's no elevated roadbed like there is in areas that see rain a lot more frequently.

Dangerous in its own goofy way.
 
Spur's Addiction said:
Boils down to people being unprepared. Same things happens with cool weather, when people go out without any gear, and end up with hypothermia.
Click to expand...
agree 100%...I was staying on top of Leconte a few years back and they came in and told us a family of 4 was missing and asked if there were any volunteers to go out and look for them...they were found huddled together and it was approaching freezing and the heaviest jacket was a rain jacket...they looked like they had one foot in the grave...I doubt that all would have made it until morning...apparently they started up the 5 mile hike at noon and were grossly unprepared and out of shape and almost paid with their lives. If you all live hear the smokies, Leconte lodge is an awesome experience and well worth the trip up!
 
I about fell out after out I spent all day yesterday trimming the shrubs and pulling the weeds that have grown during the monsoon season this year.

Even if you're in shape, you need to be careful.
 
kingofnerf said:
I about fell out after out I spent all day yesterday trimming the shrubs and pulling the weeds that have grown during the monsoon season this year.

Even if you're in shape, you need to be careful.
Click to expand...
We used to call that "monkey"...
 
Another one...34 yr old female.

Hard to say how hot it was when she went down, but likely 95-100 degrees.

Missing hiker found dead in the Deem Hills Recreation area
34-year-old Jessica Lindstrom was last seen hiking in the area Friday morning
Click to expand...
www.abc15.com

Missing hiker found dead in the Deem Hills Recreation area

Police say the body of a missing hiker was found Friday evening in the Deem Hills Recreation area.
www.abc15.com www.abc15.com
 
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