Hikers Rescued on PCT near Snow Creek. 7/27/15

[Cy Kaicener]

Same story - dehydration from the heat
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/env ... /30728553/

[Hikin_Jim]

Wait. So they were hiking downhill from Black Mountain (presumably the PCT trailhead up there) to Snow Creek and had to get bailed out? [face palm]

HJ

[cynthia23]

I'll join you in the befuddlement circle, HJ. Had it never occurred to them that it would slowly get hotter and hotter as they approached the desert floor mid-afternoon in mid-July? Apparently, not.

The truly alarming thing about these endless witless hikers requiring and/or demanding rescues, is that many of these folks are also driving, parenting, and voting. Now that scares me.

[Wildhorse]

This problem appears to be widespread. I saw an article about hiking at Mission Peak in Fremont, near San Jose, in the New York Times. Many rescues for dehydration. Last year, five dogs died from dehydration. I don't remember if any people died. The cruelty to dogs is what really grabbed my attention.

The problem we face in the desert is faced by every major population center that enjoys access to mountains. Overuse. Rescues. Dehydration, or other physical failures. Illegal acts. Parking problems. Erosion. Harm to plants and animals.

The allure for most trail users does not seem to be nature. One major allure at Mission Peak seems to be taking selfies at the top.

Another interesting article in the New York Times discussed the harm that hiking does to the land. I remember it saying that hiking is the fourth main cause of extinctions. This weighs heavily on me. The trail use organizations in the desert deny any adverse impacts from hikers on the land and its creatures. They argue with every research study and every conservationist that contradicts their convictions.

Selfies, rescues and dehydration seem to be related.

[halhiker]

Ran out of water on the PCT coming down from Black Mtn. Road. Obviously they didn't do their homework on this hot and dry section of the trail.

http://patch.com/california/palmdesert/ ... topstories

[Hikin_Jim]

Moderator's Note: I merged the topics posted by Cyril and Hal into one since they appear to concern the same three hikers. The merged post is in the San Jacintos forum since the incident happened on the PCT between Black Mountain and Snow Creek (in the San Jacintos in other words) -- despite the fact that the original article said "Whitewater".

HJ

[out there]

And what about the media's ignorance to the locations. Whitewater and Idyllwild were both areas mentioned, but nowhere near the hikers location. They seem to make such mistakes all too often, leaving the layman with false information.

[cynthia23]

Yes, that's really true. Is there no one in the news room who can, or will, look at a simple map? They wouldn't report a murder that occurred in Indio as taking place in Palm Springs, why can't they exercise similar care in writing about wilderness incidents?