Death on the hiking trail warns to be more cautious outdoors in summer

Sedona Fire District fire crews and the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Forest Patrol responded to the Hi-Line Trail at 2:08 p.m. on Friday, June 14, following a report of an unresponsive 44-year-old woman hiking with her husband and two young daughters, all visiting from Pennsylvania. The mother became unconscious on the trail and required medical attention, according to the YCSO. A hiker arrived on the scene and attempted life-saving measures.

Paramedics arrived at the Yavapai Vista Trailhead at 2:20 p.m., prepared rescue equipment, and traveled two miles to reach the patient in 32 minutes in 100-degree heat. At 2:52 p.m., SFD crews began CPR attempts. The woman suffered heat exhaustion, according to her family, but was not treated quickly enough and died at the scene. YCSO took over the scene for further investigation, with SFD crews remaining on scene to assist. While the personal loss of someone, especially a mother, is tragic, it highlights the risk faced by outdoor recreationists in the high desert during the summer.

Arizonans and visitors from other states in the Southwest grow up knowing how dangerous the desert heat is. But out-of-state residents and international visitors may mistakenly assume our environment is safe. Much of our wildlife is poisonous, red rocks can be slippery or break off, and cactus spines warn, “Don’t come near me.”

Heat exhaustion and overheating can lead to hyperthermia, which is a significant health risk and can cause organ damage, organ failure and even death, as we saw recently at Hi-Line. Temperatures are expected to be 35 degrees or higher for the next few weeks, and no real monsoon rains are expected until mid-July.

For bureaucratic reasons, the National Weather Service did the desert Southwest a disservice in 2006 when it changed the definition of monsoon start, setting it for June 15 as if it were a federal holiday. This falsely convinced visitors that we are in the monsoon for weeks without a cloud in the sky. In truth, Arizona’s annual summer rainy season begins when the dew point is 55 degrees or higher for three days in a row. That means the increased humidity slightly reduces the risk of heat, but more importantly, it promises cooling afternoon rains.

There have been comments on social media from people who don’t like Sedona or nature in the summer, urging local, state, or federal authorities to simply “close the forest” when temperatures are high. This is a new but absurd argument. Closing access to public lands because unprepared or underprepared hikers take individual risks would deprive the public of the collective right to enjoy nature responsibly. The U.S. Forest Service does close the forest under Level 3 fire regulations, as federal law allows, but there is no federal law for heat. The proposal is too far and an overreaction.

The purpose and intent of wildfire closures are also quite different. The USFS closes the forest to protect buildings, structures, and communities at the urban-wildland interface, as well as public resources such as the forest itself, from damage caused by wildfire.

As tragic as a heat-related death is for the relatives and friends of the victims, a collective threat to the entire population from heat is not such a problem.

However, workers in the Verde Valley lack access to a private pool or have inadequate or outdated cooling systems in their homes, so they opt for short hikes to Oak Creek or the Verde River to cool off. The summertime experience of a stream accessible through U.S. Forest Service public lands is an integral part of what it means to live in rural Arizona, especially for children, teens and families who head to local waterways to enjoy what nature has to offer.

Having grown up here, locals know the risks of heat and dehydration in the summer and plan accordingly. Turning away residents and responsible visitors who know the risks and take precautions is a hasty overstepping of access that is not supported by law or precedent, nor does it pose any risk to people carefully and safely enjoying the outdoors.

The bigger problem is that social media users, especially on Instagram and TikTok, post photos or videos of hikes, scenic spots, swimming holes, and views without telling their followers what precautions to take while hiking or what they themselves have taken to intercept this clickbait.

As I wrote in an editorial earlier this summer, if you are outdoors during the hottest times of the day, drink plenty of water, take breaks, spend as much time in the shade as possible, and go indoors when possible. If you work in your garden, do it in the morning or late afternoon when the sun goes down.

If you plan to hike in the summer, go early in the morning and try to be back home or in the car by mid-morning. Choose trails with plenty of shade or on the side facing away from the direct sun, such as on the north side of rock formations, or on the west side in the morning and the east side in the afternoon when the landscape itself can provide some shade. Carry a fully charged cell phone and never walk alone. When you reach half of your water, turn around and do not go any further.

No selfie is worth a wildlife rescue. Don’t become another tragedy or warning. Even healthy hikers can be at risk, so if the heat makes you feel unwell, take a break and then turn back.

Christopher Fox Graham

Editor-in-Chief