Hiker Dies In Palm Springs

[halhiker]

My sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased and stricken.

But heart attack can be a symptom of heat stroke. And with the temperatures we had on that day coupled with the humidity it's very possible it was still heat related. And one does not have to be dehydrated to get heat illness.

We saw it with the couple who died in Joshua Tree last year who were only able to walk a few miles in temps just over 100º and we saw it recently with the ultra running who was obviously quite fit dying in Death Valley.

Hiking in the heat is very dangerous and should be avoided whenever possible. And if you're going to go out there, be very aware that maintaining core body temperature is as important as staying hydrated. Keeping the direct sun and its radiant heat off of your body is an important way to do this.

[guest]

My thoughts go out to the man that lost his life & his family & friends.
These men may have had some experience on this type of hike, but maybe not with all the factors of that day.

As Hal mentioned, "And one does not have to be dehydrated to get heat illness, and, heart attack can be a symptom of heat stroke".

These men were not in Murray Canyon ,they were up on West Fork / Pelton trail, which climbs steadily for several miles, ( over 2k ft.), with NO shade.

Even if they were at the toll gate at 8am, (when it opens), the earliest would be about 8:15 to begin. Depending on the direction they took (counter or clockwise), they would most likely still be climbing at 10:30, which can bump into 100 degrees. The humidity that day was high for the desert, making it much harder to dissipate heat for the body.

With all due respect, this was a bad day to attempt a hike as tough as this trail, with a relatively late start, and possibly not as heat acclimated as some of us desert rats, (having lived & trained here for 25 yrs).

I really admire Sven's cousin for his courage & determination to run all that way, in those conditions, to attempt saving his friend.
I hope for the best on his complete recovery.

ss

[cynthia23]

Agree completely with all that Guest and Hal had to say. Important to emphasize that we aren't criticizing the dead man and his cousin, who as non-locals couldn't be expected to understand the severity of the challenge they were taking on. In fact, I would say that the blame lies with the lack of clear warnings about this issue from the gatekeepers at the reservation. I know the brochures they hand out include warnings, but in the summer, I think they need to more strongly emphasize the danger of hiking in the heat with verbal warnings and posted warnings at trail heads, something to the effect of "Do Not Attempt this hike when temps are over 90" or something like that. (to be fair, I once received a verbal warning from a ranger near Tahquitz?South Lykken on a hot morning, and it did in fact have its intended effect--I came back sooner than normal.) I realize the Canyons generate revenue for them and multiple dire-warning signs don't help that, but the fact is this is by no means the first heat fatality there. The non-locals simply don't understand the risk and it's not fair to not warn them. The tribe has a responsibility beyond fine-print legal boilerplate in the brochure, they need to emphasize the danger much more strongly to the tourists who unknowingly enter very dangerous situations. I'm grateful to the ranger who warned me that day. I wish that the dead man had received a similar warning.

[Perry]

Maybe we need more emphasis on the dew point as an indicator of humidity-related heat danger. It seems like this summer has had higher humidity than normal for this area. Relative humidity is too relative. You can't compare across different temperatures the way you can with dew point.