View Full Version : Hiker dies from heat in badlands
wilconow
07-19-2006, 18:37
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060719/ap_on_re_us/heat_wave
hammock engineer
07-19-2006, 23:34
Here is an updated link. Unfortunitly it lists another hiker that died from heat exposure.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060719/ap_on_re_us/hikers_die;_ylt=AnX.Keq6.VyuMunkOLpYvnFH2ocA;_ylu= X3oDMTA4dW1uZXIwBHNlYwMyNzQ3
SGT Rock
07-20-2006, 06:55
You have to learn to spot symptoms of dehydration before they get sever. And even if you stay hydrated, you have to know your limitations to exert during hot weather. It is still possible to overheat even if you get enough water. This can happen in the desert or on the AT with all that shade the green tunnel provides. I've had to send a few students over the years to the hospital because they failed to know their own limitations.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/article.php?p=106696&postcount=1
thats terrible and I never wish that on any one!the dry heat can play alot of factors verses the humidity,and where one lives also can be affect on where one chooses to hike,out west the dry heat can really creep up on a person if their use to humidity,and vice versa.ky
wilconow
07-20-2006, 08:58
Diane Nagler, a spokeswoman for the school, said that although students are not allowed to carry water bottles, they have access to water along the route.
"They carry a cup," she said. "It's very well planned-out."
The school's Web site says its field courses teach participants how to survive in wilderness with minimal food, water, clothing and gear. "Our goal is to take you from a world of convenience and comfort and put you in a situation where you must go 'just a little bit farther' — past those false limits your mind has set for your body," the site says.
sounds like a weird premise for a class.
fiddlehead
07-20-2006, 09:50
Two more die in Utah: http://kutv.com/topstories/local_story_200101743.html
Looks like both are heat related.
I discovered when hiking in the desert, it's best to break, hopefully in shade between about 12 noon and 4 pm. As long as you get up early, and hike late, it's much more fun that way and little suffering.
Lone Wolf
07-20-2006, 10:41
Hmmm. It's the hottest time of the year and they are hiking in one of the hottest spots in the U.S. ill-prepared. Sympathy don't come to mind.
Shake_N_Bake
07-20-2006, 10:49
I remember reading somewhere that there is no drinkable water available along the trails in the Badlands. You have to carry every drop you need due to the high mineralization of the water there. I took a quick look and could not find what I had read before, can anyone confirm this? If I am remembering correctly then this could be a factor in this case.
Tha Wookie
07-20-2006, 10:50
I read that 3 hikers died in the past week from heat exposure.
This should be a wake up call for everyone taking a trip, and especially for those leading one.
This week in our primitive skills classes, we're making portable drinking gourds, down by "Big Creek" on our farm as a part of our native wanderer Roots Farm series.
....after reading this, maybe we should make two!
bigcranky
07-20-2006, 11:41
I remember reading somewhere that there is no drinkable water available along the trails in the Badlands. You have to carry every drop you need due to the high mineralization of the water there. I took a quick look and could not find what I had read before, can anyone confirm this? If I am remembering correctly then this could be a factor in this case.
When we were in the Badlands a few years ago, we got the same info. The water is thick with suspended particles (clay?) and is undrinkable and unfilterable.
When we were in the Badlands a few years ago, we got the same info. The water is thick with suspended particles (clay?) and is undrinkable and unfilterable.
Can't you distill it? You know when you are heating water on a stove in a pot, you lift the lid, and the water beads drain off. Something like that?
AdamantiumKid
07-20-2006, 12:46
As harsh as it may seem, I totally agree with L. Wolf. Unless you are being forced at gunpoint to march through the desert in the middle of summer, stay at home or know what the heck you're doing.
Amigi'sLastStand
07-20-2006, 18:13
The camp was run by Josh Bernstien. He wasnt at the camp, but his idea of survival training is to take ppl just in from the real world and "shock" them with two days of deprivation to gauge them, "awaken" them, and break them down so they listen the last five days. The particulars are still being sorted by the sheriff's office, but I'll bet they had no water to start. There is no accreditation for these "instructors" at all. Some of them get off on watching the civilians squirm and beg.
How do I know? I tried to pass on my knowledge by getting a job with one of these schools in Florida about five years ago. What ends up happening is the school weeds out the bad instructors usually after a close call, but these fools just end up moving to a new area and getting hired by someone else. Most are demented militia types who took what the Army or Marines taught them a little to serious. Most have no survivor skills at all, save the paranoid schizophrenia that ZOG will one day try to arrest them so they store up MREs and ammo. I'm not kidding. I thought I was a bit of a mess, but after I met these dudes, I realized I make it out OK!
I feel for the 16 year old girl. I sure want to here more about that one.