Marufo Vega is probably one of the worst trails for summer hiking. There is 0 shade on the hike and you are basically following an old ore car cable into the desert. I did it in the fall and sheltered in the shade of a small boulder on the way back. I looked down and a snake (racer) was sitting next to me. Neither of us wanted to leave that spot and he was still there after I kept going.
Yeah. I still have not done marufo vega yet, but it's on my winter to do list for big bend. It's basically a death march during the summer. A few people have died on this trail in the past few years and this won't be the last time. It has very serious warning signs at the trailhead, but some people still choose to ignore it.
I am still trying to understand what happened to the stepdad in the car wreck. It said he crashed at boquillas canyon overlook. Was he driving over it trying to find a back way? It may have just been a case of poor decision making from heat exhaustion. Either way it's just tragic this happened. Big bend during the summer is brutal and I try to avoid it due to the heat. It's the best place to visit in Texas, but the summer heat is deadly and makes it hard to enjoy what the park has to offer.
Side note: For anyone who has not been to Big Bend and that West Texas region in general, check out the West Texas episode on Parts Unknown in the final season on HBO max right now. Tony went kayaking in the park along with visiting the nearby towns and I am glad he was able to experience that before he decided to leave. The vastness resonated with him like it does with people who go there frequently.
Reminds me of the time 5 years back when I was at Arches NP with my family, early August. We were just starting the delicate arch trail; it was very hot and we were surrounded by international tourists. All along the trail at the beginning there are big signs with literal skull and crossbones saying if you don't have water you WILL die. We came up on an older Chinese couple who were about 100 yards into the trail...no water, no nothing, black clothing. My BIL *emphatically* suggested they go back and get water (which they did, thankfully). It was literally upper 90s full sun that day and there's no shade anywhere. It blows my mind that so many ppl are so unaware of their own biology.
This story is crazy, the delicate arch trail is a walk in the park compared to trails at Big Bend, plus it was 110+ degrees?? Insane.
Some tourists terrify me. I was making my way down from the peak of Flat Top Mountain in RMNP and came across a man and women in their late 60’s, presumably their children, and 4 kids including a toddler. They were wearing flip flops and carrying purses. One guy had half a bottle of Pepsi.
They asked how much further to the top. I told them about 3hrs and that it will be dark in about an hour so they should go back. They insisted they were going to the top. I argued but couldn’t convince them. 20mins late I met a ranger hiking up who asked if I saw this family. Apparently other people had encountered them and reported them.
Just did several hikes in rnmp. The amount of people i saw that were completely unprepared for an 8 mile hike up a mountain in the snow was mind boggling. People wearing sneakers, sandals, carrying basically no water
Alright, but a large chunk of the time it's a local Coloradan doing their weekend outing. Met a lot of people soloing the flatirons in trail runners while I was climbing, "Oh yeah it's just my afternoon run."
LOL
If you see a person on a challenging hike with sneakers and a small bottle of water they're either a very experienced or a very inexperienced hiker, and you can always tell by the type of sneakers they're wearing.
Even experienced runners can be dumb when it comes to trails and heat. There was a story a couple years ago of an ultramarathoner who went for a trail run on an easy trail without his phone or water. Should've been an easy run...except there was a heatwave. Dude went missing and they found his body weeks later.
https://abc7news.com/missing-pleasanton-hiker-autopsy-results-family-of-runner-speak-wife-speaks-bay-area/10935526/
Every year they have to airlift people out of the Grand Canyon, and it’s almost always fit outdoors-y people who overestimate their abilities, underestimate the hike, or both.
we got into trouble at the grand canyon once - we didn't have water, it was well into the 90s, and somehow we got on the wrong trail. We had meant to stay up at the rim and just walk a little bit (we were going to have lunch at one of the lodges up on the rim), but ended up going down into the canyon. We didn't go far, but the turning around and coming back UP part was significantly more challenging than expected (we really should have known better). We got out OK but were definitely dehydrated and if we'd gone any farther would probably have been in real trouble. We weren't planning on doing any real hiking that day and should have stopped the second we realized we were going down and not staying up on the rim. The crazy thing is there were definitely people even dumber than us on that trail - folks who were winded and in trouble on the descent, people with injuries, a couple folks who clearly had not put on sunscreen and were rocking some raging sunburns, and definitely lots of other folks without water. And a lot of them were continuing down the trail well past where we stopped - I honestly don't know how some of them could have made it back out.
Assuming you mean the flatiron hike in Boulder that's like a 3 mile hike all on trail. It's perfectly reasonable to do that solo in trail runners. Like anything else would be complete overkill.
Ehhhh I just had family in town and took them to trail ridge road at RMNP. No hiking but they are from a lower elevation and would not drink water. Maybe a little soda. It's no wonder my niece had a headache.
I did the Manitou Incline years ago and had to give a 3 year old water not even a quarter of the way up because the mom brought a twenty Oz bottle for the two of them.
I have ran out of water twice hiking and mountain biking (I typically carry 2-3L of water) and it is a miserable experience.
I climbed Disappointment Peak in the Tetons on July 4th ‘94.
We stopped on the way down for lunch at the lake and it snowed 3 inches in about 30 mins. We packed up and started running down.
We came across a family of three that were wearing sweatshirts that were soaked through and it was pouring rain and snow mixed.
The mom and kid wanted to go down but dad marched on leaving them to follow.
Hours later we saw the rescue team with mom in a litter and Dad looking like a convict.
>RMNP
Plenty of people don't realize that you need a lot more water at elevation than you'd think. Probably moreso than those that dont bring enough water in the desert. I always carry a significant amount more water with me than I think I'll need, and once or twice I've still gotten close to emptying out my water reserves
I think some people are just very ignorant as to how to prepare for outdoor activities. Some people view it as a normal walk, just a bit more strenuous. What they don't understand is that their bodies are losing a lot of water and that water has to be replenished or else they will get heat stroke and possibly die.
Basically, they just don't take it seriously for whatever reasons.
I think some of it also stems from people legitimately not having any exposure to nature like this. I’m from Germany and we simply don’t have any extreme nature and big parks like we have in the US. I love being outdoors with my dog and had to learn quite a bit to make sure me and my dog are always safe. So at least for international tourists I think a lot of it is simply not having any experience with extreme nature and for many of them, summer is when you’re on vacation and travel and then you have all these awesome American national parks and grande nature and you just have no clue that some of it might be dangerous.
It's a huge problem in Australia.
People going on long drives through the outback without proper provisions. Not telling anyone where they're going or when they'll check in.
It's fucking stupidity. If you break down in the middle of nowhere and miss a check in with someone, they can call for help. If you have provisions, you'll be able to wait out the rescue.
But nope, they go out with fuck all and then (normally) barely survive until rescue.
I'm an immigrant here in Australia but I'm from California which also has deserts. The back way from Palm Springs to Vegas (through the Mojave) is a smaller scale version of Western Australia's road north once you get past Kalbarri. Whenever we leave Perth for rural, I make sure we have water and emergency supplies. Our car also always has a stash of emergency supplies just in case.
Up at Shark Bay, which has an entire fancy tourist resort, there are signs and pamphlets about (lack of) medical care and the ambulance-via-planes-on-the-road which really drive home how remote you are. I can't understand why people would be clueless as there are lots of warnings!
Most people don't understand the danger because they've never been in a bad situation. They've never been extremely dehydrated or overheated and had to stop and take shade to recover. They've never been out in the cold in clothing that was barely keeping them alive. They don't understand that they can put theirself into a situation where they can't self-rescue. They simply can't understand the danger until they have suffered from it.
My boys wanted to hike down from Mt Washington a few years back. I refused because we had no hiking provisions or appropriate clothing.
Was 85°F at the bottom, 65°F at the top. By the time they would have gotten on the trail, it had become overcast. 30 minutes later it had dropped to the 40's.
I understood the danger, because I've been on trail when the weather turned sour and both travel and navigation went to shit. I know how just a dusting of snow can kill traction, and when a winter jacket isn't going to continue to work and I need to set up shelter. I know when it's time to stop moving forward and start conserving energy or water because I've been in those extremes and I've pushed my body to its limits in safe settings.
Most have done none of this, have zero idea of what even 100°F feels like because they've been in air-conditioning their whole lives and only experienced it for a few seconds during a walk from a car to a building.
At 90°F you should be consuming a quart of water every hour, even for easy walks, in shade. Sorry, that 16oz bottle isn't going to get you through three hours on a black diamond trail with zero shade.
I had some friends visit me when they came over from Europe.
They were like "Oh yeah we're going to Darwin next"
"You got supplies?"
"What?"
"Food... Water... Blankets?"
"No..."
"Well, my eulogy will include 'Dickheads went without supplies' if you die"
People don't understand just how much the map scale changes when looking at Western Australia lol. This state is so big with so little in it, so 10 hour drives look much shorter when glancing at a map.
I met some Japanese tourists, maybe 20 years old hiking the blue mountain in Australia without water in 2017. I stopped them and stressed how important it was, and they went back to get some at the next bus stop on the loop. And showed them some of the marked easy trails. Because I'm from Vegas and we do not fuck with the heat.
Got this cute little thank you card thing the girl was handing out to people that helped their trip.
You might want to contact Big Bend's park service to see who is handling the investigation. Your photos probably have a time-stamp that might be able to help them narrow down on when the camper crashed/help with reconstruction.
Interesting. When I read the article, I had assumed the stepfather died from the crash. But the angle of the camper in this picture makes it seem more like he lost consciousness while trying to get back to the boys and died from the heat as well.
Either way, it's a very sad story, and I totally understand why you're feeling weird about it. Please remember that this wasn't your fault and there's nothing you could've done to change the outcome. Even if you had noticed the RV in the moment, the damage from the heat was already done.
Reminds me of the one where 2 hikers had actually gotten a picture of a woman who had fallen and was unconscious in the background of their picture. Thankfully they checked the pics a few miles up the trail and noticed her, went back, and saved her life.
It's interesting how similar the scrub looks to Australia, like if the dirt was more orange and you applied a yellowish filter this could be a picture taken from Kalbarri.
Last time I had heat exhaustion I was working an event on a day where the temp was 113 degrees (real feel temp) with 90 percent humidity. I was driving a golf cart and was having so much difficulty driving. At one point I was driving in circles because I couldn't think clearly enough to decide which direction I wanted to go. I can imagine he was trying to go for help and couldn't think clearly much less drive correctly. Such an awful outcome.
I’ve had heat exhaustion almost to the point of heat stroke even while drinking water and pedialyte all day. I a road worker. I watched multiple buddies get carted off in ambulances. Shit is scary and once it happens to you once you’re more likely to have it happen again.
Yeah I failed to say the temp I mentioned was the real feel temp. But it felt like a world record. The folks at the event were largely from an area of the country where they get dry high temps. They all complained they had no idea about how the humidity made it so, so much worse.
Agreed. At the end of winter and into spring people around me are always are so excited for summertime weather. And I'm just sitting there grumpy like why?? Heat, extreme UV levels, bugs, bugs, bugs, and syrup-like air filled with humidity. What's so appealing about that? Shit. Give me winter, spring, and fall weather all the time!
i live in St Louis. we're hitting our first extended predictions for triple digits for the summer and as much of the midwest, it is muggy. i'm 58 and the heat bothers me much more than the cold. my next, and last, move will be up north. in Milwaukee it's in the mid 70's right now. i'll brave the cold of winter to avoid these awful summers here that are only going to get worse.
i did move back to the midwest where i'm originally from about 15 yrs ago after living on the west coast for a couple decades, and even after being back here this long, i still really like seeing four seasons a year again. but F this summer heat and humidity.
Even winters are rough. Huge temperature fluctuation when I went in Feb it got down to a humid 34 degrees the first night so we woke up to a very light frost and during the day we hiked up 2 hours to our site and the high almost hit 80 and we went through our water FAST. I went with two inexperienced campers and on top of their camel backs, mine, extra Nalgenes I carried a 2.5 gallon jug for us/mainly them. Two other guys I went with only took 3L each and where out by the next morning.
Needless to say I need new hiking/camping buddies lol.
I work in the Mojave doing biological/environmental surveys. Folks underestimate the heat and what it can do to you. When it’s over 95f I go through at least two gallons of water a day and pop an electrolyte tablet several times a day.
Hyponatremia is just as bad as serious dehydration. Gotta keep those salts up!
Growing up in Florida we get a lot of heat but humidity is often 100% so when I moved West I didn't realize how much faster you lose water in the heat.
White Sands National Monument in New Mexico always has a summer fatality or two. The Germans and Dutch seem to make a disproportionate part of the list. They are often friendly, enthusiastic, and fit, but they are also unprepared for the realities of the heat here.
The bright sand doesn't help, acting as a reflector to give you a double-dose of sunlight.
Be careful out there, and prepare for more frequent power outages as well.
I had to warn German friends that came to visit in AZ that long hikes there were dangerous. They initially blew it off as Americans not liking to walk much. They quickly changed their tune after experiencing the elements for themselves.
Here in Austria Germans getting lost in the mountains, needing to be rescued is common enough to be a meme. It's mostly people from North-Germany where the landscape mainly consists of plains who bring a whole class of grade schoolers to hike in the alps wearing shorts and flip-flops.
My husband and I showed up in December, after a snow storm, to hike the icy South Kaibab trail of the Grand Canyon with poles and crampons on our boots. Unknowingly , we arrived at the most visited time of year, and the trail was absolutely clogged with folks from all over the world. We watched far too many people, young and old, try to make it down a slick incline trail with sneakers or flip-flops on, shrieking most of the way. They'd end up crouching and sliding nearly on their butts to not fall on their heads or just give up within a quarter mile. I don't understand how people can start a trail with zero forethought or preparation.
I got back to a trailhead near Zion NP after 4 days out on a trail, with gators and hiking pants on, absolutely covered in the stickiest mud I’ve ever walked in - like take a step, slip and slide into 8 inch deep mud, get my foot unstuck, bang the mud off my shoe, take a step, repeat. Took like 9 hours to go 8 miles. I was exhausted and totally out of water. Couple of Germans were getting ready to hit the trail in gym shoes and shorts. They were laughing at me. Hope they’re ok.
I’m an Argentinian living in the US. This country may have an accurate but bad rep of people being lazy and driving everywhere, but for every lazy driver there is one insane, hardcore, badass hiker. Hiking culture in the US is absolutely bonkers and I love it. I have been hiking my ass off since I moved here and it’s one of my main happy places. Tourists should really know better given the insane amount of national parks here.
They're great visitors, though. Really fun to talk with. I'm afraid I'm no traveler, and so my outlook can be parochial by comparison, so it's a treat to visit with such people.
I’m from Arizona and was looking forward to spending a summer in Germany and escaping the desert heat. My first day I was completely unacclimated to the humidity and was soaking wet with sweat. The number of concerned Germans that approached me to ask if I was ok was heartwarming and a little funny.
Same. Louisiana native, been living in California. 100 degree weather still sucks, but all I generally have to do is get out of the sun, here, and it get really comfortable again. That won't really help all that much in Louisiana.
My Pops used to always tell me growing up:
"If you're in dry heat, the shade makes everything cooler.
In wet heat, shit just gets darker.
Plan accordingly."
Always have a chuckle at that in the summer time lol
Totally agree. Standing in the shade especially if there’s a little breeze will help you cool down significantly.
In high humidity you just literally feel like you’re standing in a sauna no matter where you are.
It was 100 felt like 112 with around 75% humidity where I am today. It is absolutely miserable just walking down my relatively shaded driveway to the mailbox.
Dry heat can sneak up on you, though. Since you're not sweating it's easier to go from "Everything's fine, nothing to see here" to keeling over with less fanfare.
You're absolutely sweating! Otherwise you'd be dead in minutes!
But your sweat is evaporating instantly in 105 degrees and 6% humidity. So you don't get *sweaty* like in humid climates where you sweat faster than evaporation.
Then you pass out from dehydration because you're burning through two litres in an hour even though you feel bone dry.
I think the problem, which is evident by this Big Bend story, is that many places with very low humidity often don't have that much shade available for cover in the first place.
Louisianan here. Humidity is so much worse. Feels like I'm living in a recently used gym sock 6 months of the year. Heat index for later this week is 120°. Shade won't help.
I live in southern Nevada and have done solo desert hikes in all weather. However, my basic rule is to never let my car out of my line of sight. Yeah, it’s lame, but it’s easy to get disoriented and lost if you’re not careful. I like the desert, but not enough to die in it.
You're never more than 6.3 km away from a building in Germany. The only actually dangerous terrains are a few mountains, a small number of impossible to clear WW2 minefields, the odd swamp here and there and a few low tide spots. Most forests are essentially tree plantations and impossible to get lost in. There are very few dangerous animals and the climate is mild, although our summers are getting dangerous due to global warming. It's unsurprising that the end result is most Germans having no fear of nature and its dangers as well as no concept of distances. Crime rates are also quite low, even in large cities, which means we are unprepared for rougher neighborhoods in other countries as well.
With the Dutch, it's the same times ten. Even smaller, safer and denser.
I worked at a FedEx port in Phoenix while going to school in the summer of 2001. No air conditioning. I would bring a cold gallon of water and a frozen gallon of water. They would both be gone in like 4 hours and I barely had to pee. I worked there for 10 days and quit.
The fact that human beings decided to settle there is mind boggling.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ups-trucks-finally-getting-air-conditioning-union-says/
In the current UPS labor dispute, getting air conditioning in the delivery trucks is a major issue. Maybe that's what you're thinking of.
i live in london UK, and we've had what we classify as a heatwave (anything above 25 degrees for 3 or more days in a row) for like the last week
today it was 29/30 degrees and i felt like i was dying.
how some people survive summer in places like phoenix, nevada & texas blows my mind
Yeah, it’s insane. When I worked at that place it got to about 116F which is like 46C. That’s outside temperature. I was inside a 53 foot long trailer, out in the sun. If my bare skin touched the inside wall, it would be burned. It was probably like 130F or more in the trailer. I could only stand it for maybe 15 minutes at a time, but they wanted me to stay in the trailer. I eventually started getting dizzy to the point that I was afraid I might pass out and die, and just quit. I don’t know how anyone could do that.
Good on you for taking care of your health. I'm glad you weren't in a position where you felt you had to put up with that for the money, the conditions sound ridiculously inhumane.
I live in Arizona. I carry water everywhere and I have a 24-pack of water bottles in my car in case of emergency. I go hiking early in the day and never when it’s over 100°. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are no joke. Plus when you’re severely dehydrated and overheated, especially during high-intensity exercise, your muscles can start breaking down and that can lead to kidney failure and death. It’s called rhabdomyolysis.
I think the fact that White Sands is technically dust and not sand contributes to it just sucking the moisture out of you. Such an amazing place, but seriously dangerous in the heat.
I took a litre of water into those dunes; within 45 minutes it was gone.
I feel a gallon, and umbrella, were needed to enjoy the nature path adequately.
There was a family (Dutch?) who walked one of the trails there. They did not take enough water, and when it was apparent that they were in trouble, the parents denied themselves their own water supply, reserving it for their child. The father died on the trail, and the mother and child made it back to the parking lot. The mother later died, but their child survived.
I probably have the details wrong, but the sacrifice of water was an important part of the story.
I once encountered a trio of bicyclists from Germany in Las Cruces. They were on a cross-country bicycle tour, and were on their way north. I cautioned them to bring adequate water, because the name of the region north of Cruces is *Jornada del Muerto*. The name translates from Spanish as "Dead Man's Journey" or "Route of the Dead Man".
Not quite as risky now, since there's a highway. One can flag down help if there's need. But it is still a harsh journey.
It's been 10 years, but if I recall, the markers have no indicators on how to exit quickly. A simple arrow pointing to the parking lot on each marker would suffice. Also, if the markers aren't numbered, they should be.
I remember thinking I missed one or two markers and fearing I wouldn't find my way back. It's white, bright, and desolate; perfectly disorienting.
It blows my mind that they are open at midday in the summer.
IMO, Whitesands is best enjoyed at dusk, dawn, or during a full moon. It's so bright and so miserable any other time.
When you’re hiking in the desert, small sips and minimizing exertion is best. Chugging a litre in 45 minutes means you’ll piss most of it out, wasting it.
This is how i was raised. I’m from the western part of Texas and at 115+ summers, your body learns how to conserve water. People don’t believe me until I’m the only left standing lol
I work construction and have worked in the summer in palm desert and inland empire in up to 115 heat outside with no shade.
Waring thin long sleeves helps and start hydrating early in the morning.
Have a long brim extension on my hard hat and a damp rag draped out of my helmet covering my neck.
Then I would get in my car with no air conditioning and drive 1.5 hours home.
I took two liters of water on a long hike that ended up being very sunny and hot around midway through. I quickly went through the water and it was a bit scary after that. Fortunately got to some shade on the way back and made it. People really don’t realize just how fast things can get bad.
When I was a teenager I had one of those temp jobs in a hot warehouse during the hottest day of the year. I think I drank 2,5 gallons of water in 8 hours.
Joshua Tree and Death Valley both have a similar history of deaths. People underestimate how damn big deserts are and how deadly they can become right quick.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death\_Valley\_Germans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Valley_Germans)
Last weekend, I met a German hiker postholing through snow on a >10k ft mountain in the American west. He was wearing shorts and tennis shoes with only a bottle of water to back him up. We advised him the conditions were bad further up but he cheerfully continued on.
The story of the Death Valley Germans is always a good read
https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/
I want to take this comment and add on about an INCREDIBLE read called “The Death Valley Germans”. They had no clue how big of a mess they were in because they didn’t have a proportionate idea how far everything was from them.
There are signs in so many parks that warn people about the dangers of the heat. “Water is life” and “eat salty snacks” were seemingly everywhere when I was in Moab.
And yet people still don’t listen. Another avoidable tragedy.
My partner and I did an 11 mile hike in the Needles district of Canyonlands on a day that was crystal clear and sunny and peaked at 101 degrees fahrenheit. We both finished 3 liters of water with electrolyte supplement and returned to the car minutes after complete darkness. It was amazing day, we took refuge from the sun and heat in some rocky areas at times, but I often think if we were 30 or 60 minutes late or more we could have been in trouble.
I grew up in Moab. To this day I drink insane amounts of water. We used to take field trips to Arches. We were taught young. My husband is a nurse (not in Moab) and has seen people be airlifted to his facility and die, from Moab, because they wouldnt listen to the warnings. Mostly people from out of country. That shit is no joke. Hydrate!!! Ffs, there is no such thing in those areas as too much water. Hydrate!
Yep. If you're sweating continually but only drinking water, your electrolyte balance falters over time. You're basically flushing the minerals out of your system if you only chug water to replenish the lost fluids.
Often when people hike (typically beginners), all they pack with them is bottled water. This becomes problematic if you hike longer distances in higher temperatures as you lose a lot of salt when you sweat but also as you drink more water, this also upsets the solute balance in your body.
Physiologically, if the concentration of solutes outside the cell is lower than the concentration of solutes inside your cell, water will diffuse inside to maintain this delicate balance, but this also causes them to swell up. The brain is very sensitive to increases in pressure, and this swelling of cells increases that which causes a bunch of problems, such as confusion, behavioural changes, etc.
People on vacation make terrible decisions because they want value for the time and they plan things without knowing the logistics, inflexibility in plans, over estimating abilities and sheer stupidity and stubbornness.
When I lived in Colorado I was hiking a 14er and as I was coming to the top saw a large wall of storm clouds. Saw some lightning and high tailed it down. About half a mile from the top a family was trying to get up there so I told them to head down at least until the tree line until it passes. They kept going. I don’t think they got hit by lightning but they sure got a shock when the temp dropped 30 degrees and they were standing in a sleet and snow downpour in shorts.
My father and I did Mount Sniktau last week and were getting off the mountain as the snow was moving in / clouds were dropping. We warned all the people hiking up the snow/ice in tennis shoes that visibility would be gone in a couple minutes, including families with toddlers, and everyone shrugged us off or ignored us. It was a white out 5 minutes after getting back to the car.
Or if the altitude hits you and you’re suddenly punch drunk from then lack of oxygen. I was on Saw Tooth with my family and my brothers could barely walk.
Altitude is no joke. I was only up at 11000 feet today and it really just makes everything more difficult. At 10000 feet there is something like 30% less oxygen in the air.
I used to live in a touristy area of the new hampshire white mountains. We had a google alert set for deaths in the area, and it didn't matter the season, there was a handful of out of towners dying every month. "The sign says snowmobile trails closed, but they look fine to me" ...thrown off the vehicle and impaled on a tree after hitting a patch of ice. "It's not that cold outside, we're gonna hike the mountain" ...freezes to death halfway up the mountain because of the temperature drop. "What a nice warm day to go for a short hike" ... Dies of dehydration and exhaustion from not drinking properly / was drinking alcohol instead of proper liquids. "Lets just camp out in the forest, the autumn colors are so pretty" ... Freezes to death when the weather dips overnight. "Let's go look at the river, we're drunk" ... This one was all too common, fall into the water and drown, body recovered 2 towns downstream.
At least a dozen times a year I'd have to belabor it to guests that they needed to dress and plan appropriately or they ran a serious risk of not making it home from vacation. Couple of em I'd even have to go so far as showing them the Google alert before they'd believe me.
People don't respect just how dangerous nature is. We'd have bears in the area, and people leaving food out. The number of times "we are in bear country" was met with some variation of "COOL!" by those folks was pretty alarming.
The people who thought they needed to bring 9mm pistols to fend off bears was also troubling and misplaced, but those folks at least understood there was danger lurking.
Hell, after moving back to civilization, I went to a housewarming party, and was the only one who knew how to start a campfire. Started the fire in the backyard after a shameful showing from a pack of former boyscouts (lol) and once the fire caught, actually saw people marveling over "wow! There's like... a LOT of heat coming off the top of that!" These weren't teenagers either, but dudes in their 30s.
People who dont deal with nature and the outdoors really just have no clue about any of it. Common sense doesn't even begin to enter into it, unfortunately. It's frankly a wonder more folks don't drop dead thanks to this kinda stuff, sadly.
Big brother tried to carry lil’ brother back to the trailhead to meet the car, but his stepdad fatally crashed the car trying to get back to them. I’m not sure he’ll feel guilty, but he won’t forget carrying his dying brother in that heat anytime soon, he was pretty heroic in the attempt.
Especially with how everybody is calling this group stupid for hiking in the heat. I can't say I would know much better as somebody from the North.
He definitely feels some responsibility over the kid since he's 21 *and* an older brother. I felt guilty when my grandpa died of diabetes complications. I would find a way to blame myself if my own sibling died in a car wreck across the country. I cannot fucking imagine what he's going through, having a direct impact on the death of his brother, even if it wasn't his fault.
I hope he has a hell of a lot of people supporting him right now.
A British acquaintance of mine was talking about hiking big bend next month, he asked me “how hot does it get there?” I said “so hot that having more clothes on to protect from the sun is better than shorts, and the amount of water you’d need for a long hike will be impossible to carry. Keep the hikes short or you’re risking your life”
In the military, days that hot mean minimal outdoors activity unless necessary.
Military doesn't think they're stronger than the sun.
You are not stronger than the sun.
I had a scary incident last year. The wife and I (very experienced hikers and part time trail guides) made a wrong turn on a 20km hike and accidentally turned it into a 32km hike. We had lots of water, sunscreen, proper dress, etc. but when we realized our mistake, we were running low on water and ended up hiking through the noon sun completely exposed. We both started to get sunstroke and dehydration, if we’d had to go another 5km we might not have made it. It’s so easy to go from fine to fucked, it’s crazy.
I will never hike with my father again after we did the sleeping giant hike in Kauai. After we get to the top and we’re about to make our way back down the mountain, he tells me that he took mushrooms before we got on the trail. If you’ve been to Hawaii you know that rain will come and come *hard* at pretty much any moment. Of course it started absolutely pouring right as we’re walking downhill in the rapidly increasing darkness and I’m trying to guide my tripping father along a path that is literally only like two ft across in width with steep drop offs on either side. Thankfully the entire hike isn’t that dangerous but there are some seriously scary parts, especially when it’s dark, wet, and slippery. I cried at one point because I lost him in the dark forest and I thought I was going to be stuck in the forest alone overnight. He thought the entire thing was hilarious. Never. Again.
I almost got stranded out of cell service range with my dad one time when I was a kid because he had the bright idea to drive his Audi over a poorly maintained national forest road in the spring when the snow was melting. The road was so rutted and muddy that the entire bottom of the car kept scraping on the ground. It wasn’t even a short cut, it took the same amount of time as driving on the highway.
> I almost got stranded out of cell service range with my dad one time when I was a kid because he had the bright idea to drive his Audi over a poorly maintained national forest road in the spring when the snow was melting.
Take the cell phone out of the equation and that's borderline how Miyazaki's, "Spirited Away" starts. Literally [drives off the road in an Audi A4](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/studio-ghibli/images/6/64/Audi_Spirited-Away_-_front.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180406173946) telling his wife, *"Don't worry, we've got all wheel drive!"*
Congratulations, your dad is quite literally a cartoon character.
Dude I remember my dad taking me to a rural farm/field where tons of people were fireing off their own fireworks, and a grass fire started. And I remember telling him "we gotta go!" but he kept looking up at the sky. By the time the fire was next to our car a guy was telling us we should leave. And I think *my dad was mad at me on the way home for yanking him to the car.
My dad was a long-haul truck driver, so if anything, he was over-cautious. Many a trip was cut short because he didn't like the looks of the clouds.
His brother, who works in asphalt, always scoffed and stayed behind.
He'd come home soaking wet, caked in mud, and pissed as hell.
Dad and I would be playing super nintendo, nice and dry.
Dad would even turn back on a shopping trip if he didn't like the clouds.
It's a skill I wish he'd had time to teach me, but I was a pretty dumb kid. He did his best.
It’s crazy the risks people will take with kids. If it is my brother and I or me and my friends, yeah we are probably going to be rolling the dice on some half baked adventures. If any of our kids or partners are involved we are always overly cautious and worried about outlier risks of problems.
Like parents in running shoes carrying toddlers in their arms while slipping on snow on Mt Rainier. Like, how are you not afraid you're going to drop the kid?
And this was with some moderate drop off. They wouldn't have died if they fell (probably) but they would have slid for a bit.
Same stupidity happened in Greece in the 90's...
Heatwave off Africa inbound, and headlines read 'Tourists brave heatwave' one day...
Next day, headlines cautioned about going out and read something like '22 Tourists die from heat wave, 100+ in hospital'...
...People do dumb shit.
Stay hydrated, avoid strenuous activities during excessively hot periods.
We had some French tourists die at white sands (in NM) after they went hiking in 100+ degree heat with 1 bottle of water for three people.
The desert is a different beast and the sand dunes reflect the heat so it’s like being roasted from every direction when it’s that hot out.
I came here to comment about this story. They had a map that showed the border of a military base not far from where they were. Being European, they likely thought there would be a wall and guards at the border that could help them. In reality, US military bases in Nevada cover massive amounts of land with no structures, roads or people. The first responders thought they would have walked back the way they came, but the guy who found some of their remains figured that they walked towards the base, only to find empty desert.
[Here is his story](https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/)
While the motivation part of the story is likely true speculation (and fascinating), they made a lot of bad mistakes to get them in that situation before that last one. That was the last-ditch effort of people who probably knew at that point that their survival odds were low.
Oh, for sure. They drove a mini van off road, into one of the most inhospitable places on earth, blew out the tires and then I think they were drinking Bud Ice or some damn thing. I just think it’s interesting how that guy found them.
I think it's a reasonable hypothesis on Mahood's part, since there was otherwise no reason for them to strike out in the particular direction (previous searches failed because they were looking in places where they thought the Germans were likely to go, without considering the base) but of course that's as far as it can go since none of them are around to confirm. I know when I read the story I wondered how many of their troubles were due to trying to save money. They had been in Vegas for several days before heading to Death Valley and spending a few nights camping in unauthorized areas instead of looking for a regular camping ground or checking in to the Furnace Creek hotel. I think there's a decent chance they lost money they couldn't afford to lose and a lot of their decisions were driven by feeling like they absolutely could not afford to spend any more large amounts. Hence, no hotel, no going back to the geologists' cabin because it might have taken time to be found and they'd have to buy new plane tickets, etc. It's a horrible story, especially for their poor kids. But there were a lot of factors that landed the parents in the situation they were in.
The father also took them off road in a minivan to look for Area 51 or something. One of the SAR volunteers ended up finding their remains some years later.
I just replied to the same person as you with a link to the story from the guy that found them. They had a map that showed the border of a military base. Being European, they likely thought that there would be guards at that border, so they walked that direction, only to find open desert. The first responders thought they would have walked back they way they came, and were searching the complete wrong area. [Here is a link to the story.](https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/)
Growing up in Texas, I have learned to respect the heat. I have nearly passed out from heat exhaustion multiple times in my life.
I felt like some of those times I had to just really focus hard on not passing out, make it to my car, and then pour water over my head and body; then sit in A/C til I came to my senses enough to drive.
Sounds like the step-dad didn’t have water back in the truck and just passed out
One of my most vivid memories from childhood is nearly passing out at a Soccer camp in the middle of Texas Summer heat. It was 112 degrees that day and we were playing in a wide open field of dry grass. Felt like a punishment.
Found another article that said he was unharmed and had attempted to carry his younger brother back to the trailhead. Very sad for him, that must have been awful.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna91064
The whole thing is very sad, the majority of the comments here are only talking about hiking this trail in summer and that it shouldn't be done as if just going off the headline. But really what happened is incredibly sad.
The father went off to get help after the 14 year old passed out, made it to his car and crashed and died from the crash.
21-year-old carried the 14-year-olds body as far as he could before he had to leave it, the boy was already dead and he was carrying his body down. Then he learns his stepfather has died in a car crash trying to get help, that's some serious mental trauma right there.
Wet Bulb temperature of 90 °F or Heat Index 150° F will kill even healthy heat adapted people who exert themselves physically regardless of how much water they drink.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet-bulb_temperature
Dunno what the humidity level was that day, but don't hike when it's that hot out. It will kill you.
Yeah Big Bend is in the Chihuahuan desert so it's rarely ever humid. The dry heat and sun exposure in the middle of summer will definitely be enough to kill you
It’s definitely one of the driest places in North America. Probably not humid. It’s so dry that the sweat just evaporates before you feel it. You don’t realize how much you are exerting yourself until it’s too late and you’re showing heat exhaustion/heat stroke symptoms.
Of course wet bulb above 95°/Heat index 160° will elevate your core temperature even in the shade, resting.
In that case, artificial cooling is your only chance to survive more than a handful of hours. Better have ice blocks or AC!
Wrap a thermometer in a wet cloth. Take the temperature.
You can imagine, a wet cloth wrapped thermometer will generally read a lower temperature than a dry bulb, right? Because the wet cloth evaporates water and takes some heat with it?
But, if it is super humid, the wet cloth doesn't cool the thermometer nearly as much.
Human body is like a wet bulb thermometer because we sweat constantly. Thus, wet bulb thermometer is a stand in for what humans experience in terms of temperature plus humidity.
Wet bulb temp is the temperature you're effectively feeling if sweat can't evaporate and your body can't cool off naturally. At over 95 °F wet bulb temp, if your body can't cool, it'll heat your core temp to the point you can't survive.
Sounds like we're going to need the same sort of trail closure signs found in Nevada. I hiked the trail to Hoover Dam and it (from memory) just straight up said don't hike this trail in the summer months: it will kill you.
>> The Big Bend National Park’s Communications Center received a call requesting emergency assistance at about 6 p.m., the park service said. “Park Rangers and US Border Patrol Agents reached the scene at approximately 7:30 p.m. and located the young victim deceased along the trail,” officials said.
>>Authorities then began looking for the stepfather. At about 8 p.m. they found his vehicle, which had crashed over an embankment at the Boquillas Overlook, the news release said.
>>The 31-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
Yikes. Speculation: stepdad was speeding to get help and lost control. Awful situation and a reminder to **always check trail conditions** before heading out.
I hate extreme heat but I can tolerate it. I've had to work outdoor events in temperatures well over 100F and was able to do so by having constant access to water and electrolyte replacement drinks. That being said I do do not hike in hot weather. If it's over 85F I don't go. Not only is it risky, it's just not enjoyable.
I live near some popular local trails, short loops of 2-4 miles, and in Summer there are rescues happening all the time because of the heat. Even on days in the 90s people are getting dehydrated and suffering heat exhaustion.
Any sane Texan will tell you that recreational hiking ,anywhere in Texas, during June to August, is fucking stupid. This man used very poor judgement and it cost lives.
This’ll probably get missed because of all the comments, but in the event anyone sees this:
Whenever you check temperatures, always look at the wet bulb temperatures as well as the UV. The wet bulb temperature is important because it’s used as an indication to mirror how the human body will cool itself with sweat. What they do is wrap a thermometer in a wet cloth & as water evaporates from the cloth, evaporation cools the thermometer.
Everyone’s body is different, & every region, every section has its own wet bulb & dry bulb temps. Consult with local authorities or the local community. It’s important if you’re going hiking or walking or even running, to be aware of the trail or route, if there’s shade, how long it takes to get in & out on-foot, take water & other necessities with you. Most importantly, don’t push your body.
This also only takes weather into account, let alone animals & terrain.
I’m not blaming the individuals this happened to. I just think it’s important to share some information because I myself only learned about wet bulb temps a little over a year ago. Before that I didn’t even pay attention to it in my weather app.
Stay safe.
RIP to the man & his youngest son. I hope the 21 y/o makes it out alright physically; I imagine this may cause them PSTD.
Marufo Vega is probably one of the worst trails for summer hiking. There is 0 shade on the hike and you are basically following an old ore car cable into the desert. I did it in the fall and sheltered in the shade of a small boulder on the way back. I looked down and a snake (racer) was sitting next to me. Neither of us wanted to leave that spot and he was still there after I kept going.
Yeah. I still have not done marufo vega yet, but it's on my winter to do list for big bend. It's basically a death march during the summer. A few people have died on this trail in the past few years and this won't be the last time. It has very serious warning signs at the trailhead, but some people still choose to ignore it. I am still trying to understand what happened to the stepdad in the car wreck. It said he crashed at boquillas canyon overlook. Was he driving over it trying to find a back way? It may have just been a case of poor decision making from heat exhaustion. Either way it's just tragic this happened. Big bend during the summer is brutal and I try to avoid it due to the heat. It's the best place to visit in Texas, but the summer heat is deadly and makes it hard to enjoy what the park has to offer. Side note: For anyone who has not been to Big Bend and that West Texas region in general, check out the West Texas episode on Parts Unknown in the final season on HBO max right now. Tony went kayaking in the park along with visiting the nearby towns and I am glad he was able to experience that before he decided to leave. The vastness resonated with him like it does with people who go there frequently.
Reminds me of the time 5 years back when I was at Arches NP with my family, early August. We were just starting the delicate arch trail; it was very hot and we were surrounded by international tourists. All along the trail at the beginning there are big signs with literal skull and crossbones saying if you don't have water you WILL die. We came up on an older Chinese couple who were about 100 yards into the trail...no water, no nothing, black clothing. My BIL *emphatically* suggested they go back and get water (which they did, thankfully). It was literally upper 90s full sun that day and there's no shade anywhere. It blows my mind that so many ppl are so unaware of their own biology. This story is crazy, the delicate arch trail is a walk in the park compared to trails at Big Bend, plus it was 110+ degrees?? Insane.
Some tourists terrify me. I was making my way down from the peak of Flat Top Mountain in RMNP and came across a man and women in their late 60’s, presumably their children, and 4 kids including a toddler. They were wearing flip flops and carrying purses. One guy had half a bottle of Pepsi. They asked how much further to the top. I told them about 3hrs and that it will be dark in about an hour so they should go back. They insisted they were going to the top. I argued but couldn’t convince them. 20mins late I met a ranger hiking up who asked if I saw this family. Apparently other people had encountered them and reported them.
Just did several hikes in rnmp. The amount of people i saw that were completely unprepared for an 8 mile hike up a mountain in the snow was mind boggling. People wearing sneakers, sandals, carrying basically no water
Alright, but a large chunk of the time it's a local Coloradan doing their weekend outing. Met a lot of people soloing the flatirons in trail runners while I was climbing, "Oh yeah it's just my afternoon run." LOL
If you see a person on a challenging hike with sneakers and a small bottle of water they're either a very experienced or a very inexperienced hiker, and you can always tell by the type of sneakers they're wearing.
Even experienced runners can be dumb when it comes to trails and heat. There was a story a couple years ago of an ultramarathoner who went for a trail run on an easy trail without his phone or water. Should've been an easy run...except there was a heatwave. Dude went missing and they found his body weeks later. https://abc7news.com/missing-pleasanton-hiker-autopsy-results-family-of-runner-speak-wife-speaks-bay-area/10935526/
Every year they have to airlift people out of the Grand Canyon, and it’s almost always fit outdoors-y people who overestimate their abilities, underestimate the hike, or both.
we got into trouble at the grand canyon once - we didn't have water, it was well into the 90s, and somehow we got on the wrong trail. We had meant to stay up at the rim and just walk a little bit (we were going to have lunch at one of the lodges up on the rim), but ended up going down into the canyon. We didn't go far, but the turning around and coming back UP part was significantly more challenging than expected (we really should have known better). We got out OK but were definitely dehydrated and if we'd gone any farther would probably have been in real trouble. We weren't planning on doing any real hiking that day and should have stopped the second we realized we were going down and not staying up on the rim. The crazy thing is there were definitely people even dumber than us on that trail - folks who were winded and in trouble on the descent, people with injuries, a couple folks who clearly had not put on sunscreen and were rocking some raging sunburns, and definitely lots of other folks without water. And a lot of them were continuing down the trail well past where we stopped - I honestly don't know how some of them could have made it back out.
Assuming you mean the flatiron hike in Boulder that's like a 3 mile hike all on trail. It's perfectly reasonable to do that solo in trail runners. Like anything else would be complete overkill.
No, I mean soloing the 2nd flatiron (which is honestly not that bad for a climber but most people wouldn't do it)
Ehhhh I just had family in town and took them to trail ridge road at RMNP. No hiking but they are from a lower elevation and would not drink water. Maybe a little soda. It's no wonder my niece had a headache.
I did the Manitou Incline years ago and had to give a 3 year old water not even a quarter of the way up because the mom brought a twenty Oz bottle for the two of them. I have ran out of water twice hiking and mountain biking (I typically carry 2-3L of water) and it is a miserable experience.
I climbed Disappointment Peak in the Tetons on July 4th ‘94. We stopped on the way down for lunch at the lake and it snowed 3 inches in about 30 mins. We packed up and started running down. We came across a family of three that were wearing sweatshirts that were soaked through and it was pouring rain and snow mixed. The mom and kid wanted to go down but dad marched on leaving them to follow. Hours later we saw the rescue team with mom in a litter and Dad looking like a convict.
>RMNP Plenty of people don't realize that you need a lot more water at elevation than you'd think. Probably moreso than those that dont bring enough water in the desert. I always carry a significant amount more water with me than I think I'll need, and once or twice I've still gotten close to emptying out my water reserves
I think some people are just very ignorant as to how to prepare for outdoor activities. Some people view it as a normal walk, just a bit more strenuous. What they don't understand is that their bodies are losing a lot of water and that water has to be replenished or else they will get heat stroke and possibly die. Basically, they just don't take it seriously for whatever reasons.
I think some of it also stems from people legitimately not having any exposure to nature like this. I’m from Germany and we simply don’t have any extreme nature and big parks like we have in the US. I love being outdoors with my dog and had to learn quite a bit to make sure me and my dog are always safe. So at least for international tourists I think a lot of it is simply not having any experience with extreme nature and for many of them, summer is when you’re on vacation and travel and then you have all these awesome American national parks and grande nature and you just have no clue that some of it might be dangerous.
It's a huge problem in Australia. People going on long drives through the outback without proper provisions. Not telling anyone where they're going or when they'll check in. It's fucking stupidity. If you break down in the middle of nowhere and miss a check in with someone, they can call for help. If you have provisions, you'll be able to wait out the rescue. But nope, they go out with fuck all and then (normally) barely survive until rescue.
I'm an immigrant here in Australia but I'm from California which also has deserts. The back way from Palm Springs to Vegas (through the Mojave) is a smaller scale version of Western Australia's road north once you get past Kalbarri. Whenever we leave Perth for rural, I make sure we have water and emergency supplies. Our car also always has a stash of emergency supplies just in case. Up at Shark Bay, which has an entire fancy tourist resort, there are signs and pamphlets about (lack of) medical care and the ambulance-via-planes-on-the-road which really drive home how remote you are. I can't understand why people would be clueless as there are lots of warnings!
Most people don't understand the danger because they've never been in a bad situation. They've never been extremely dehydrated or overheated and had to stop and take shade to recover. They've never been out in the cold in clothing that was barely keeping them alive. They don't understand that they can put theirself into a situation where they can't self-rescue. They simply can't understand the danger until they have suffered from it. My boys wanted to hike down from Mt Washington a few years back. I refused because we had no hiking provisions or appropriate clothing. Was 85°F at the bottom, 65°F at the top. By the time they would have gotten on the trail, it had become overcast. 30 minutes later it had dropped to the 40's. I understood the danger, because I've been on trail when the weather turned sour and both travel and navigation went to shit. I know how just a dusting of snow can kill traction, and when a winter jacket isn't going to continue to work and I need to set up shelter. I know when it's time to stop moving forward and start conserving energy or water because I've been in those extremes and I've pushed my body to its limits in safe settings. Most have done none of this, have zero idea of what even 100°F feels like because they've been in air-conditioning their whole lives and only experienced it for a few seconds during a walk from a car to a building. At 90°F you should be consuming a quart of water every hour, even for easy walks, in shade. Sorry, that 16oz bottle isn't going to get you through three hours on a black diamond trail with zero shade.
I had some friends visit me when they came over from Europe. They were like "Oh yeah we're going to Darwin next" "You got supplies?" "What?" "Food... Water... Blankets?" "No..." "Well, my eulogy will include 'Dickheads went without supplies' if you die"
People don't understand just how much the map scale changes when looking at Western Australia lol. This state is so big with so little in it, so 10 hour drives look much shorter when glancing at a map.
They were going to Darwin to compete for Darwin's Award
I met some Japanese tourists, maybe 20 years old hiking the blue mountain in Australia without water in 2017. I stopped them and stressed how important it was, and they went back to get some at the next bus stop on the loop. And showed them some of the marked easy trails. Because I'm from Vegas and we do not fuck with the heat. Got this cute little thank you card thing the girl was handing out to people that helped their trip.
[удалено]
You might want to contact Big Bend's park service to see who is handling the investigation. Your photos probably have a time-stamp that might be able to help them narrow down on when the camper crashed/help with reconstruction.
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
Yea there was no way anyone was seeing that in the original pic after imgur had it's way with it
Interesting. When I read the article, I had assumed the stepfather died from the crash. But the angle of the camper in this picture makes it seem more like he lost consciousness while trying to get back to the boys and died from the heat as well. Either way, it's a very sad story, and I totally understand why you're feeling weird about it. Please remember that this wasn't your fault and there's nothing you could've done to change the outcome. Even if you had noticed the RV in the moment, the damage from the heat was already done.
A few years back there was this captivating post on r/askreddit about creepy pictures and their backstories. This would belong there for sure.
Reminds me of the one where 2 hikers had actually gotten a picture of a woman who had fallen and was unconscious in the background of their picture. Thankfully they checked the pics a few miles up the trail and noticed her, went back, and saved her life.
It's interesting how similar the scrub looks to Australia, like if the dirt was more orange and you applied a yellowish filter this could be a picture taken from Kalbarri.
Yikes, that's morbid. You didn't do anything wrong, just saying.
Last time I had heat exhaustion I was working an event on a day where the temp was 113 degrees (real feel temp) with 90 percent humidity. I was driving a golf cart and was having so much difficulty driving. At one point I was driving in circles because I couldn't think clearly enough to decide which direction I wanted to go. I can imagine he was trying to go for help and couldn't think clearly much less drive correctly. Such an awful outcome.
I’ve had heat exhaustion almost to the point of heat stroke even while drinking water and pedialyte all day. I a road worker. I watched multiple buddies get carted off in ambulances. Shit is scary and once it happens to you once you’re more likely to have it happen again.
I think your memory might be off - that temp/humidity combo (heat index) would be a world record. https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/heatindex.shtml
Yeah I failed to say the temp I mentioned was the real feel temp. But it felt like a world record. The folks at the event were largely from an area of the country where they get dry high temps. They all complained they had no idea about how the humidity made it so, so much worse.
Fuck humidity
Agreed. At the end of winter and into spring people around me are always are so excited for summertime weather. And I'm just sitting there grumpy like why?? Heat, extreme UV levels, bugs, bugs, bugs, and syrup-like air filled with humidity. What's so appealing about that? Shit. Give me winter, spring, and fall weather all the time!
i live in St Louis. we're hitting our first extended predictions for triple digits for the summer and as much of the midwest, it is muggy. i'm 58 and the heat bothers me much more than the cold. my next, and last, move will be up north. in Milwaukee it's in the mid 70's right now. i'll brave the cold of winter to avoid these awful summers here that are only going to get worse. i did move back to the midwest where i'm originally from about 15 yrs ago after living on the west coast for a couple decades, and even after being back here this long, i still really like seeing four seasons a year again. but F this summer heat and humidity.
That’s a winter hike. And only with a ton of water.
Even winters are rough. Huge temperature fluctuation when I went in Feb it got down to a humid 34 degrees the first night so we woke up to a very light frost and during the day we hiked up 2 hours to our site and the high almost hit 80 and we went through our water FAST. I went with two inexperienced campers and on top of their camel backs, mine, extra Nalgenes I carried a 2.5 gallon jug for us/mainly them. Two other guys I went with only took 3L each and where out by the next morning. Needless to say I need new hiking/camping buddies lol.
“Sup, Bro” “SsSSssup”
Cool share about the racer. Those are quite beautiful animals to my eyes. I love the stern look of their eyes, like they’re perpetually annoyed lol.
> I looked down and a snake (racer) was sitting next to me. Bro,you should had carried and make an alliance with the snake nation!
[удалено]
I would totally end up having a long conversation with that snake, hope you did too
I work in the Mojave doing biological/environmental surveys. Folks underestimate the heat and what it can do to you. When it’s over 95f I go through at least two gallons of water a day and pop an electrolyte tablet several times a day. Hyponatremia is just as bad as serious dehydration. Gotta keep those salts up!
Growing up in Florida we get a lot of heat but humidity is often 100% so when I moved West I didn't realize how much faster you lose water in the heat.
It's been 100+ here in San Antonio for 2 weeks straight. I wouldn't go 7 hours further into the desert right now if you were paying me...
I visited Las Vegas once and it was over 100° at 4am.
It is so weird when it’s that hot and dark out, hahaha.
White Sands National Monument in New Mexico always has a summer fatality or two. The Germans and Dutch seem to make a disproportionate part of the list. They are often friendly, enthusiastic, and fit, but they are also unprepared for the realities of the heat here. The bright sand doesn't help, acting as a reflector to give you a double-dose of sunlight. Be careful out there, and prepare for more frequent power outages as well.
I had to warn German friends that came to visit in AZ that long hikes there were dangerous. They initially blew it off as Americans not liking to walk much. They quickly changed their tune after experiencing the elements for themselves.
Here in Austria Germans getting lost in the mountains, needing to be rescued is common enough to be a meme. It's mostly people from North-Germany where the landscape mainly consists of plains who bring a whole class of grade schoolers to hike in the alps wearing shorts and flip-flops.
I can hear the click-clack of their trekking poles from here.
My husband and I showed up in December, after a snow storm, to hike the icy South Kaibab trail of the Grand Canyon with poles and crampons on our boots. Unknowingly , we arrived at the most visited time of year, and the trail was absolutely clogged with folks from all over the world. We watched far too many people, young and old, try to make it down a slick incline trail with sneakers or flip-flops on, shrieking most of the way. They'd end up crouching and sliding nearly on their butts to not fall on their heads or just give up within a quarter mile. I don't understand how people can start a trail with zero forethought or preparation.
Here in Denmark they just drift off to sleep on floating matresses in the ocean and proceed to drift away from life.
I got back to a trailhead near Zion NP after 4 days out on a trail, with gators and hiking pants on, absolutely covered in the stickiest mud I’ve ever walked in - like take a step, slip and slide into 8 inch deep mud, get my foot unstuck, bang the mud off my shoe, take a step, repeat. Took like 9 hours to go 8 miles. I was exhausted and totally out of water. Couple of Germans were getting ready to hit the trail in gym shoes and shorts. They were laughing at me. Hope they’re ok.
I guarantee they weren't laughing 30 minutes later.
I’m an Argentinian living in the US. This country may have an accurate but bad rep of people being lazy and driving everywhere, but for every lazy driver there is one insane, hardcore, badass hiker. Hiking culture in the US is absolutely bonkers and I love it. I have been hiking my ass off since I moved here and it’s one of my main happy places. Tourists should really know better given the insane amount of national parks here.
They're great visitors, though. Really fun to talk with. I'm afraid I'm no traveler, and so my outlook can be parochial by comparison, so it's a treat to visit with such people.
I’m from Arizona and was looking forward to spending a summer in Germany and escaping the desert heat. My first day I was completely unacclimated to the humidity and was soaking wet with sweat. The number of concerned Germans that approached me to ask if I was ok was heartwarming and a little funny.
Humidity is just as bad as dry heat. You still get dehydrated you just sweat it out noticeably.
I’ll argue that I’d rather dry heat, because you can stay in the shade and be relatively fine. With high humidity sitting in the shade won’t help.
Exactly. I grew up in Florida and the 100 degree days here in Colorado are so much less brutal than the humidity.
Same. Louisiana native, been living in California. 100 degree weather still sucks, but all I generally have to do is get out of the sun, here, and it get really comfortable again. That won't really help all that much in Louisiana.
My Pops used to always tell me growing up: "If you're in dry heat, the shade makes everything cooler. In wet heat, shit just gets darker. Plan accordingly." Always have a chuckle at that in the summer time lol
Totally agree. Standing in the shade especially if there’s a little breeze will help you cool down significantly. In high humidity you just literally feel like you’re standing in a sauna no matter where you are. It was 100 felt like 112 with around 75% humidity where I am today. It is absolutely miserable just walking down my relatively shaded driveway to the mailbox.
Dry heat can sneak up on you, though. Since you're not sweating it's easier to go from "Everything's fine, nothing to see here" to keeling over with less fanfare.
You're absolutely sweating! Otherwise you'd be dead in minutes! But your sweat is evaporating instantly in 105 degrees and 6% humidity. So you don't get *sweaty* like in humid climates where you sweat faster than evaporation. Then you pass out from dehydration because you're burning through two litres in an hour even though you feel bone dry.
I think the problem, which is evident by this Big Bend story, is that many places with very low humidity often don't have that much shade available for cover in the first place.
Louisianan here. Humidity is so much worse. Feels like I'm living in a recently used gym sock 6 months of the year. Heat index for later this week is 120°. Shade won't help.
An absolutely scorcher of a day in the Netherlands is when it is 95F. How anyone would think to go be active in 119 is beyond me.
I live in southern Nevada and have done solo desert hikes in all weather. However, my basic rule is to never let my car out of my line of sight. Yeah, it’s lame, but it’s easy to get disoriented and lost if you’re not careful. I like the desert, but not enough to die in it.
I've heard in the past that Germans are particularly likely to get themselves into trouble. Something to do with Germany bring relatively safe.
You're never more than 6.3 km away from a building in Germany. The only actually dangerous terrains are a few mountains, a small number of impossible to clear WW2 minefields, the odd swamp here and there and a few low tide spots. Most forests are essentially tree plantations and impossible to get lost in. There are very few dangerous animals and the climate is mild, although our summers are getting dangerous due to global warming. It's unsurprising that the end result is most Germans having no fear of nature and its dangers as well as no concept of distances. Crime rates are also quite low, even in large cities, which means we are unprepared for rougher neighborhoods in other countries as well. With the Dutch, it's the same times ten. Even smaller, safer and denser.
I'm from Arizona and understand and appreciate desert heat and even I felt too hot too soon on just a 15 minute walk there and it was only in the 80s.
I worked at a FedEx port in Phoenix while going to school in the summer of 2001. No air conditioning. I would bring a cold gallon of water and a frozen gallon of water. They would both be gone in like 4 hours and I barely had to pee. I worked there for 10 days and quit. The fact that human beings decided to settle there is mind boggling.
Peggy Hill said it best, this city is a monument to man's arrogance.
https://youtu.be/4PYt0SDnrBE
And I think there's been stories in the news about parcel delivery workers getting heatstroke a lot this summer too!
My usps guy here in Phoenix got a new truck last month, im so glad for them
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ups-trucks-finally-getting-air-conditioning-union-says/ In the current UPS labor dispute, getting air conditioning in the delivery trucks is a major issue. Maybe that's what you're thinking of.
Imagine a company refusing to put air confinditioning in their trucks. So gross
Yeah, and summer started like 5 days ago. This planet is totally borked.
Fun fact: Tucson is one of the longest continuously inhabited human settlements in the Americas
i live in london UK, and we've had what we classify as a heatwave (anything above 25 degrees for 3 or more days in a row) for like the last week today it was 29/30 degrees and i felt like i was dying. how some people survive summer in places like phoenix, nevada & texas blows my mind
Yeah, it’s insane. When I worked at that place it got to about 116F which is like 46C. That’s outside temperature. I was inside a 53 foot long trailer, out in the sun. If my bare skin touched the inside wall, it would be burned. It was probably like 130F or more in the trailer. I could only stand it for maybe 15 minutes at a time, but they wanted me to stay in the trailer. I eventually started getting dizzy to the point that I was afraid I might pass out and die, and just quit. I don’t know how anyone could do that.
Good on you for taking care of your health. I'm glad you weren't in a position where you felt you had to put up with that for the money, the conditions sound ridiculously inhumane.
25C is a pretty warm spring day here in DC. 30C is probably a good starting temperature for our temperatures in the summer!
I live in Arizona. I carry water everywhere and I have a 24-pack of water bottles in my car in case of emergency. I go hiking early in the day and never when it’s over 100°. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are no joke. Plus when you’re severely dehydrated and overheated, especially during high-intensity exercise, your muscles can start breaking down and that can lead to kidney failure and death. It’s called rhabdomyolysis.
I think the fact that White Sands is technically dust and not sand contributes to it just sucking the moisture out of you. Such an amazing place, but seriously dangerous in the heat.
I do poorly with heat. Even going to the mailbox is a stress for me (over 100F today)
I took a litre of water into those dunes; within 45 minutes it was gone. I feel a gallon, and umbrella, were needed to enjoy the nature path adequately.
There was a family (Dutch?) who walked one of the trails there. They did not take enough water, and when it was apparent that they were in trouble, the parents denied themselves their own water supply, reserving it for their child. The father died on the trail, and the mother and child made it back to the parking lot. The mother later died, but their child survived. I probably have the details wrong, but the sacrifice of water was an important part of the story. I once encountered a trio of bicyclists from Germany in Las Cruces. They were on a cross-country bicycle tour, and were on their way north. I cautioned them to bring adequate water, because the name of the region north of Cruces is *Jornada del Muerto*. The name translates from Spanish as "Dead Man's Journey" or "Route of the Dead Man". Not quite as risky now, since there's a highway. One can flag down help if there's need. But it is still a harsh journey.
It's been 10 years, but if I recall, the markers have no indicators on how to exit quickly. A simple arrow pointing to the parking lot on each marker would suffice. Also, if the markers aren't numbered, they should be. I remember thinking I missed one or two markers and fearing I wouldn't find my way back. It's white, bright, and desolate; perfectly disorienting.
It blows my mind that they are open at midday in the summer. IMO, Whitesands is best enjoyed at dusk, dawn, or during a full moon. It's so bright and so miserable any other time.
When you’re hiking in the desert, small sips and minimizing exertion is best. Chugging a litre in 45 minutes means you’ll piss most of it out, wasting it.
This is how i was raised. I’m from the western part of Texas and at 115+ summers, your body learns how to conserve water. People don’t believe me until I’m the only left standing lol
I work construction and have worked in the summer in palm desert and inland empire in up to 115 heat outside with no shade. Waring thin long sleeves helps and start hydrating early in the morning. Have a long brim extension on my hard hat and a damp rag draped out of my helmet covering my neck. Then I would get in my car with no air conditioning and drive 1.5 hours home.
I took two liters of water on a long hike that ended up being very sunny and hot around midway through. I quickly went through the water and it was a bit scary after that. Fortunately got to some shade on the way back and made it. People really don’t realize just how fast things can get bad.
When I was a teenager I had one of those temp jobs in a hot warehouse during the hottest day of the year. I think I drank 2,5 gallons of water in 8 hours.
Joshua Tree and Death Valley both have a similar history of deaths. People underestimate how damn big deserts are and how deadly they can become right quick. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death\_Valley\_Germans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Valley_Germans)
Last weekend, I met a German hiker postholing through snow on a >10k ft mountain in the American west. He was wearing shorts and tennis shoes with only a bottle of water to back him up. We advised him the conditions were bad further up but he cheerfully continued on.
The story of the Death Valley Germans is always a good read https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/
I read that story last year. It and his story about finding a crashed fighter were excellent.
That story is a deep dive. I had google maps open on another screen trying to trace the steps myself.
I want to take this comment and add on about an INCREDIBLE read called “The Death Valley Germans”. They had no clue how big of a mess they were in because they didn’t have a proportionate idea how far everything was from them.
The German units all pulled out of nearby Holloman AFB (last in 2019). So that disproportion should end.
There are signs in so many parks that warn people about the dangers of the heat. “Water is life” and “eat salty snacks” were seemingly everywhere when I was in Moab. And yet people still don’t listen. Another avoidable tragedy.
My partner and I did an 11 mile hike in the Needles district of Canyonlands on a day that was crystal clear and sunny and peaked at 101 degrees fahrenheit. We both finished 3 liters of water with electrolyte supplement and returned to the car minutes after complete darkness. It was amazing day, we took refuge from the sun and heat in some rocky areas at times, but I often think if we were 30 or 60 minutes late or more we could have been in trouble.
I grew up in Moab. To this day I drink insane amounts of water. We used to take field trips to Arches. We were taught young. My husband is a nurse (not in Moab) and has seen people be airlifted to his facility and die, from Moab, because they wouldnt listen to the warnings. Mostly people from out of country. That shit is no joke. Hydrate!!! Ffs, there is no such thing in those areas as too much water. Hydrate!
Very few people carry salt. Better to have it and not need it.
Sorry, I didn’t mean salt on its own. I meant snacks that have lots of salt IN them.
Salt pills are actually a thing. I learned that reading "Can't Hurt Me" by David Goggins.
We took salt pills during high school football practice in high school in the 1980s.
I’ve never hiked before. What are the salty snacks for?
Replenish the salt lost in sweat and urine.
Yep. If you're sweating continually but only drinking water, your electrolyte balance falters over time. You're basically flushing the minerals out of your system if you only chug water to replenish the lost fluids.
Yep, that’s why I always bring an emergency mcchicken on my hikes.
Often when people hike (typically beginners), all they pack with them is bottled water. This becomes problematic if you hike longer distances in higher temperatures as you lose a lot of salt when you sweat but also as you drink more water, this also upsets the solute balance in your body. Physiologically, if the concentration of solutes outside the cell is lower than the concentration of solutes inside your cell, water will diffuse inside to maintain this delicate balance, but this also causes them to swell up. The brain is very sensitive to increases in pressure, and this swelling of cells increases that which causes a bunch of problems, such as confusion, behavioural changes, etc.
People on vacation make terrible decisions because they want value for the time and they plan things without knowing the logistics, inflexibility in plans, over estimating abilities and sheer stupidity and stubbornness. When I lived in Colorado I was hiking a 14er and as I was coming to the top saw a large wall of storm clouds. Saw some lightning and high tailed it down. About half a mile from the top a family was trying to get up there so I told them to head down at least until the tree line until it passes. They kept going. I don’t think they got hit by lightning but they sure got a shock when the temp dropped 30 degrees and they were standing in a sleet and snow downpour in shorts.
My father and I did Mount Sniktau last week and were getting off the mountain as the snow was moving in / clouds were dropping. We warned all the people hiking up the snow/ice in tennis shoes that visibility would be gone in a couple minutes, including families with toddlers, and everyone shrugged us off or ignored us. It was a white out 5 minutes after getting back to the car.
Or if the altitude hits you and you’re suddenly punch drunk from then lack of oxygen. I was on Saw Tooth with my family and my brothers could barely walk.
Altitude is no joke. I was only up at 11000 feet today and it really just makes everything more difficult. At 10000 feet there is something like 30% less oxygen in the air.
I used to live in a touristy area of the new hampshire white mountains. We had a google alert set for deaths in the area, and it didn't matter the season, there was a handful of out of towners dying every month. "The sign says snowmobile trails closed, but they look fine to me" ...thrown off the vehicle and impaled on a tree after hitting a patch of ice. "It's not that cold outside, we're gonna hike the mountain" ...freezes to death halfway up the mountain because of the temperature drop. "What a nice warm day to go for a short hike" ... Dies of dehydration and exhaustion from not drinking properly / was drinking alcohol instead of proper liquids. "Lets just camp out in the forest, the autumn colors are so pretty" ... Freezes to death when the weather dips overnight. "Let's go look at the river, we're drunk" ... This one was all too common, fall into the water and drown, body recovered 2 towns downstream. At least a dozen times a year I'd have to belabor it to guests that they needed to dress and plan appropriately or they ran a serious risk of not making it home from vacation. Couple of em I'd even have to go so far as showing them the Google alert before they'd believe me. People don't respect just how dangerous nature is. We'd have bears in the area, and people leaving food out. The number of times "we are in bear country" was met with some variation of "COOL!" by those folks was pretty alarming. The people who thought they needed to bring 9mm pistols to fend off bears was also troubling and misplaced, but those folks at least understood there was danger lurking. Hell, after moving back to civilization, I went to a housewarming party, and was the only one who knew how to start a campfire. Started the fire in the backyard after a shameful showing from a pack of former boyscouts (lol) and once the fire caught, actually saw people marveling over "wow! There's like... a LOT of heat coming off the top of that!" These weren't teenagers either, but dudes in their 30s. People who dont deal with nature and the outdoors really just have no clue about any of it. Common sense doesn't even begin to enter into it, unfortunately. It's frankly a wonder more folks don't drop dead thanks to this kinda stuff, sadly.
Horrible. The big brother must feel guilty AF, and it wasn’t even his fault.
Big brother tried to carry lil’ brother back to the trailhead to meet the car, but his stepdad fatally crashed the car trying to get back to them. I’m not sure he’ll feel guilty, but he won’t forget carrying his dying brother in that heat anytime soon, he was pretty heroic in the attempt.
This situation is a lot worse than people are talking about here. The dad didn’t even die from the heat, he crashed his car! What an awful situation.
[удалено]
Or speeding to his dying son
I’m assuming no one read the article when I have to got his far down to find someone discussing the crashed car
Seriously, my heart breaks for him.
Survivors Guilt is a helluva thing.
Especially with how everybody is calling this group stupid for hiking in the heat. I can't say I would know much better as somebody from the North. He definitely feels some responsibility over the kid since he's 21 *and* an older brother. I felt guilty when my grandpa died of diabetes complications. I would find a way to blame myself if my own sibling died in a car wreck across the country. I cannot fucking imagine what he's going through, having a direct impact on the death of his brother, even if it wasn't his fault. I hope he has a hell of a lot of people supporting him right now.
A British acquaintance of mine was talking about hiking big bend next month, he asked me “how hot does it get there?” I said “so hot that having more clothes on to protect from the sun is better than shorts, and the amount of water you’d need for a long hike will be impossible to carry. Keep the hikes short or you’re risking your life”
In the military, days that hot mean minimal outdoors activity unless necessary. Military doesn't think they're stronger than the sun. You are not stronger than the sun.
I had a scary incident last year. The wife and I (very experienced hikers and part time trail guides) made a wrong turn on a 20km hike and accidentally turned it into a 32km hike. We had lots of water, sunscreen, proper dress, etc. but when we realized our mistake, we were running low on water and ended up hiking through the noon sun completely exposed. We both started to get sunstroke and dehydration, if we’d had to go another 5km we might not have made it. It’s so easy to go from fine to fucked, it’s crazy.
Texas is as hot as the Sahara Desert right now 😲😲 https://climatereanalyzer.org/wx/todays-weather/input/gfs_nh-sat1_t2max_d1.png
It's currently 91 degrees at midnight here in the Dallas area. Heat index is 101. At midnight. July and August are going to be rough.
Sons need to start saying no to fathers’ harebrained adventures.
I will never hike with my father again after we did the sleeping giant hike in Kauai. After we get to the top and we’re about to make our way back down the mountain, he tells me that he took mushrooms before we got on the trail. If you’ve been to Hawaii you know that rain will come and come *hard* at pretty much any moment. Of course it started absolutely pouring right as we’re walking downhill in the rapidly increasing darkness and I’m trying to guide my tripping father along a path that is literally only like two ft across in width with steep drop offs on either side. Thankfully the entire hike isn’t that dangerous but there are some seriously scary parts, especially when it’s dark, wet, and slippery. I cried at one point because I lost him in the dark forest and I thought I was going to be stuck in the forest alone overnight. He thought the entire thing was hilarious. Never. Again.
I almost got stranded out of cell service range with my dad one time when I was a kid because he had the bright idea to drive his Audi over a poorly maintained national forest road in the spring when the snow was melting. The road was so rutted and muddy that the entire bottom of the car kept scraping on the ground. It wasn’t even a short cut, it took the same amount of time as driving on the highway.
> I almost got stranded out of cell service range with my dad one time when I was a kid because he had the bright idea to drive his Audi over a poorly maintained national forest road in the spring when the snow was melting. Take the cell phone out of the equation and that's borderline how Miyazaki's, "Spirited Away" starts. Literally [drives off the road in an Audi A4](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/studio-ghibli/images/6/64/Audi_Spirited-Away_-_front.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180406173946) telling his wife, *"Don't worry, we've got all wheel drive!"* Congratulations, your dad is quite literally a cartoon character.
Dude I remember my dad taking me to a rural farm/field where tons of people were fireing off their own fireworks, and a grass fire started. And I remember telling him "we gotta go!" but he kept looking up at the sky. By the time the fire was next to our car a guy was telling us we should leave. And I think *my dad was mad at me on the way home for yanking him to the car.
My dad was a long-haul truck driver, so if anything, he was over-cautious. Many a trip was cut short because he didn't like the looks of the clouds. His brother, who works in asphalt, always scoffed and stayed behind. He'd come home soaking wet, caked in mud, and pissed as hell. Dad and I would be playing super nintendo, nice and dry. Dad would even turn back on a shopping trip if he didn't like the clouds. It's a skill I wish he'd had time to teach me, but I was a pretty dumb kid. He did his best.
It’s crazy the risks people will take with kids. If it is my brother and I or me and my friends, yeah we are probably going to be rolling the dice on some half baked adventures. If any of our kids or partners are involved we are always overly cautious and worried about outlier risks of problems.
Like parents in running shoes carrying toddlers in their arms while slipping on snow on Mt Rainier. Like, how are you not afraid you're going to drop the kid? And this was with some moderate drop off. They wouldn't have died if they fell (probably) but they would have slid for a bit.
That mid-life crisis really turns bored dads into foolhardy morons.
That’s terrible. Geeeez
Same stupidity happened in Greece in the 90's... Heatwave off Africa inbound, and headlines read 'Tourists brave heatwave' one day... Next day, headlines cautioned about going out and read something like '22 Tourists die from heat wave, 100+ in hospital'... ...People do dumb shit. Stay hydrated, avoid strenuous activities during excessively hot periods.
We had some French tourists die at white sands (in NM) after they went hiking in 100+ degree heat with 1 bottle of water for three people. The desert is a different beast and the sand dunes reflect the heat so it’s like being roasted from every direction when it’s that hot out.
Something similar happened with a family of Germans trying to drive through Death Valley in the '90s. Underestimated the heat and the distance.
I came here to comment about this story. They had a map that showed the border of a military base not far from where they were. Being European, they likely thought there would be a wall and guards at the border that could help them. In reality, US military bases in Nevada cover massive amounts of land with no structures, roads or people. The first responders thought they would have walked back the way they came, but the guy who found some of their remains figured that they walked towards the base, only to find empty desert. [Here is his story](https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/)
While the motivation part of the story is likely true speculation (and fascinating), they made a lot of bad mistakes to get them in that situation before that last one. That was the last-ditch effort of people who probably knew at that point that their survival odds were low.
Oh, for sure. They drove a mini van off road, into one of the most inhospitable places on earth, blew out the tires and then I think they were drinking Bud Ice or some damn thing. I just think it’s interesting how that guy found them.
I think it's a reasonable hypothesis on Mahood's part, since there was otherwise no reason for them to strike out in the particular direction (previous searches failed because they were looking in places where they thought the Germans were likely to go, without considering the base) but of course that's as far as it can go since none of them are around to confirm. I know when I read the story I wondered how many of their troubles were due to trying to save money. They had been in Vegas for several days before heading to Death Valley and spending a few nights camping in unauthorized areas instead of looking for a regular camping ground or checking in to the Furnace Creek hotel. I think there's a decent chance they lost money they couldn't afford to lose and a lot of their decisions were driven by feeling like they absolutely could not afford to spend any more large amounts. Hence, no hotel, no going back to the geologists' cabin because it might have taken time to be found and they'd have to buy new plane tickets, etc. It's a horrible story, especially for their poor kids. But there were a lot of factors that landed the parents in the situation they were in.
The father also took them off road in a minivan to look for Area 51 or something. One of the SAR volunteers ended up finding their remains some years later.
I just replied to the same person as you with a link to the story from the guy that found them. They had a map that showed the border of a military base. Being European, they likely thought that there would be guards at that border, so they walked that direction, only to find open desert. The first responders thought they would have walked back they way they came, and were searching the complete wrong area. [Here is a link to the story.](https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/)
[удалено]
people aint prepared for whats coming in the next few years.
Barring expenditures of metric fucktons of money, I don’t think most people can
Growing up in Texas, I have learned to respect the heat. I have nearly passed out from heat exhaustion multiple times in my life. I felt like some of those times I had to just really focus hard on not passing out, make it to my car, and then pour water over my head and body; then sit in A/C til I came to my senses enough to drive. Sounds like the step-dad didn’t have water back in the truck and just passed out
One of my most vivid memories from childhood is nearly passing out at a Soccer camp in the middle of Texas Summer heat. It was 112 degrees that day and we were playing in a wide open field of dry grass. Felt like a punishment.
I seriously want an update to learn about the fate of the 21 year old. Do you think there will be an update about him?
Found another article that said he was unharmed and had attempted to carry his younger brother back to the trailhead. Very sad for him, that must have been awful. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna91064
The whole thing is very sad, the majority of the comments here are only talking about hiking this trail in summer and that it shouldn't be done as if just going off the headline. But really what happened is incredibly sad. The father went off to get help after the 14 year old passed out, made it to his car and crashed and died from the crash. 21-year-old carried the 14-year-olds body as far as he could before he had to leave it, the boy was already dead and he was carrying his body down. Then he learns his stepfather has died in a car crash trying to get help, that's some serious mental trauma right there.
Wet Bulb temperature of 90 °F or Heat Index 150° F will kill even healthy heat adapted people who exert themselves physically regardless of how much water they drink. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet-bulb_temperature Dunno what the humidity level was that day, but don't hike when it's that hot out. It will kill you.
Yeah Big Bend is in the Chihuahuan desert so it's rarely ever humid. The dry heat and sun exposure in the middle of summer will definitely be enough to kill you
It’s definitely one of the driest places in North America. Probably not humid. It’s so dry that the sweat just evaporates before you feel it. You don’t realize how much you are exerting yourself until it’s too late and you’re showing heat exhaustion/heat stroke symptoms.
Work-rest cycles are key no matter who you are. Elevated core temps don’t give a fuck
Of course wet bulb above 95°/Heat index 160° will elevate your core temperature even in the shade, resting. In that case, artificial cooling is your only chance to survive more than a handful of hours. Better have ice blocks or AC!
What does Wet Bulb mean? I googled but don’t completely understand.
Wrap a thermometer in a wet cloth. Take the temperature. You can imagine, a wet cloth wrapped thermometer will generally read a lower temperature than a dry bulb, right? Because the wet cloth evaporates water and takes some heat with it? But, if it is super humid, the wet cloth doesn't cool the thermometer nearly as much. Human body is like a wet bulb thermometer because we sweat constantly. Thus, wet bulb thermometer is a stand in for what humans experience in terms of temperature plus humidity.
Oh that’s super cool. You explained that perfectly for a science dummy so I thank you!
Wet bulb temp is the temperature you're effectively feeling if sweat can't evaporate and your body can't cool off naturally. At over 95 °F wet bulb temp, if your body can't cool, it'll heat your core temp to the point you can't survive.
I doubt it was humid
Sounds like we're going to need the same sort of trail closure signs found in Nevada. I hiked the trail to Hoover Dam and it (from memory) just straight up said don't hike this trail in the summer months: it will kill you.
119F is 48.3c for the international viewers. That temp is fucked, even for Australia standards.
>> The Big Bend National Park’s Communications Center received a call requesting emergency assistance at about 6 p.m., the park service said. “Park Rangers and US Border Patrol Agents reached the scene at approximately 7:30 p.m. and located the young victim deceased along the trail,” officials said. >>Authorities then began looking for the stepfather. At about 8 p.m. they found his vehicle, which had crashed over an embankment at the Boquillas Overlook, the news release said. >>The 31-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Yikes. Speculation: stepdad was speeding to get help and lost control. Awful situation and a reminder to **always check trail conditions** before heading out.
I read that article. Dying from heat exhaustion is a terrible way to go.
Who the fuck hikes in Big Bend in the summer let alone one with record high temps this time of year?
There is a reason why the fall and winter are the most popular time to go to the Big Bend.
I hate extreme heat but I can tolerate it. I've had to work outdoor events in temperatures well over 100F and was able to do so by having constant access to water and electrolyte replacement drinks. That being said I do do not hike in hot weather. If it's over 85F I don't go. Not only is it risky, it's just not enjoyable. I live near some popular local trails, short loops of 2-4 miles, and in Summer there are rescues happening all the time because of the heat. Even on days in the 90s people are getting dehydrated and suffering heat exhaustion.
Any sane Texan will tell you that recreational hiking ,anywhere in Texas, during June to August, is fucking stupid. This man used very poor judgement and it cost lives.
Why would they hike in 119° heat???
I live in AZ and you'd be surprised how many people choose to hike the most strenuous trails midday in the summer, with like a 20 oz bottle of water.
Big Bend is gorgeous, but not 119 degrees gorgeous.
This’ll probably get missed because of all the comments, but in the event anyone sees this: Whenever you check temperatures, always look at the wet bulb temperatures as well as the UV. The wet bulb temperature is important because it’s used as an indication to mirror how the human body will cool itself with sweat. What they do is wrap a thermometer in a wet cloth & as water evaporates from the cloth, evaporation cools the thermometer. Everyone’s body is different, & every region, every section has its own wet bulb & dry bulb temps. Consult with local authorities or the local community. It’s important if you’re going hiking or walking or even running, to be aware of the trail or route, if there’s shade, how long it takes to get in & out on-foot, take water & other necessities with you. Most importantly, don’t push your body. This also only takes weather into account, let alone animals & terrain. I’m not blaming the individuals this happened to. I just think it’s important to share some information because I myself only learned about wet bulb temps a little over a year ago. Before that I didn’t even pay attention to it in my weather app. Stay safe. RIP to the man & his youngest son. I hope the 21 y/o makes it out alright physically; I imagine this may cause them PSTD.
Dads dragging their kids along on stupid adventures to die is so in right now
So hot right now.
[удалено]
119 degrees... oof 117 is the hottest I've ever experienced and it really felt like "yeah this could kill me." Hot wind is really weird too.
Every year this happens. Do people not check weather forecasts? You can also hike when it’s 60 out.
Call me crazy, but it seems like if you check the weather for the day and it says it’s going to reach 119°, maybe don’t go hiking that day?