Dad dies near Arizona trailhead after hiking in over 100-degree temperatures
A hiker in Arizona died on a hiking trail after high temperatures that day, according to local authorities, the latest in a string of heat-related hiking deaths this summer.
According to the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, a 69-year-old man was hiking along Parson's Trail in Clarkdale, Arizona, located about 35 miles from Sedona, when he collapsed about a half mile from the trailhead. The man's daughter told police they had been at the nearby swimming hole during the day, when it was about 100 degrees outside.
His family members tried to perform CPR, police said, but it was not effective, and cell reception was poor, making it hard to call 911. Because of the remote location of the trail, search and rescue teams were called out and the man's body was removed and transported to the medical examiner's office.
Police said the man's death was likely due to dehydration and high blood pressure. His name has not been publicly released.
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High temperatures lead to dehydration, death for other hikers
The man's death is the latest in a string of deaths around the American Southwest this summer, as intense heat has blanketed the region.
In Arizona, 69-year-old Scott Sims from Austin, Texas collapsed and died on a trail in Grand Canyon National Park in late June as temperatures soared to more than 90 degrees. He was attempting to reach Phantom Ranch for an overnight stay via the South Kaibab Trail when he collapsed and became semiconscious on the River Trail halfway between Silver Bridge and Black Bridge near Phantom Ranch, National Park Service said.
Earlier in July, a group of motorcyclists from Germany were struggling with heat at Death Valley National Park in California. Visitors found the group of six and took all but one man, 61-year-old Jurgen Fink, to the park's visitors center. One of the motorcyclists was taken by ambulance to a hospital, and Fink was later pronounced dead, park officials said.
A father and daughter died July 12 during a hike at Canyonlands National Park in Utah, after getting lost and running out of water. Police identified the two as 52-year-old Albino Herrera Espinoza, and 23-year-old Beatriz Herrera from Green Bay, Wisconsin.
July 13, 30-year-old hiker Belyruth Ordóñez was found dead and her parents, Dario and Humbelina Ordóñez, were hospitalized after they suffered from heat exhaustion while hiking through Snow Canyon State Park in Utah, about 23 miles west of Quail Creek State Park.
A 56-year-old female hiker died July 21 near Quail Creek State Park in Utah, police said, when temperatures were around 106 degrees and she did not have enough water.