Heat Deaths at "The Wave"

Be careful out there people....


http://azdailysun.com …e2-acd9-0019bb2963f4.html

That's very sad news.. It didn't get that hot in my area ( I think we peaked at 95), but I ended my hike early. Drink lots of water and check in on your elderly neighbors.

Very sad indeed

I wonder if they will start putting age restrictions on the people who are allowed to enter the lottery at the Wave?

Yes, the folks in question were up there in age, but the effects of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and lack of preparation are not age specific. Teenagers, endurance athletes and thirty somethings can die under these circumstances too.

irishman wrote in post #16102176
I wonder if they will start putting age restrictions on the people who are allowed to enter the lottery at the Wave?

Would hate to see that. I know to go in Feb or Mar.

Sad. A postman in Boston died of heat exhaustion this week. Heat is dangerous. Stay hydrated, stay out of the sun.

Maybe they should put heat restrictions on when to allow visitors. My dime.

rbro

Maybe they should just let everyone decide for themselves and stay out of it and personally assume the responsibility. We don't need some committee telling us what we can and cannot do. For those choose to head out in the heat and they come well prepared and all goes well, fine. For those that choose to head out in the heat unprepared and they die, charge their estate for the cleanup and leave everyone else alone.

I for one do not want a nanny telling me what I can or cannot do just because two clearly unprepared people did something stupid and died. It's sad for the families but they were adults, knew the risks, and choose their path.

gjl711 wrote in post #16105488
Maybe they should just let everyone decide for themselves and stay out of it and personally assume the responsibility. We don't need some committee telling us what we can and cannot do. For those choose to head out in the heat and they come well prepared and all goes well, fine. For those that choose to head out in the heat unprepared and they die, charge their estate for the cleanup and leave everyone else alone.

I for one do not want a nanny telling me what I can or cannot do just because two clearly unprepared people did something stupid and died. It's sad for the families but they were adults, knew the risks, and choose their path.

I was just discussing this with someone tonight and said about the same thing. We don't want everything we do being monitored and regulated under the assumption that we aren't smart enough to take care of ourselves.

69 and 70 years of age is probably not appropriate unless they were in very good physical shape for that hike. Most websites indicate the hike is pretty straight forward, but without GPS coordinates, I personally believe it's easy to get "off course"..

It's a real shame what happened. The hike in and out could be pretty rough. I went in the winter a few years ago and twisted my ankle on the way back due to the snow and that alone was a challenge..

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gjl711 wrote in post #16105488
Maybe they should just let everyone decide for themselves and stay out of it and personally assume the responsibility. We don't need some committee telling us what we can and cannot do. For those choose to head out in the heat and they come well prepared and all goes well, fine. For those that choose to head out in the heat unprepared and they die, charge their estate for the cleanup and leave everyone else alone.

I for one do not want a nanny telling me what I can or cannot do just because two clearly unprepared people did something stupid and died. It's sad for the families but they were adults, knew the risks, and choose their path.

A "nanny" tells us what to do all the time---it limits our speed on the roadways, our age for drinking, getting married, etc. Many of these laws are for our own protection. And I doubt these people were "stupid", but being from Campbell, CA, where the high for July is 85 degrees, were probably ignorant of the brutal nature of desert heat. While I agree with your premise that wilderness areas should not be regulated, you could have been a bit more delicate in positing your thesis.

Yea, chances are they didn't know the risks, but that's life. Part of the beauty of the American West (and other places) is that they are still not completely tamed.

And again, sad story, I'm sort of rethinking my earlier comment, maybe they need to take a a little firmer hand in some way, not sure how.

Other national parks close trails due to dangerous conditions all the time. I was just in Glacier last week and a couple of trails were closed due to avalanche conditions or excessive bear activity. I have experienced the same thing on previous trips to Yellowstone. So it would not be unreasonable for the parks service to close a trail temporarily due to excessive heat conditions.