Another Dutch Hunter crosses over

People just fail to understand what it's like out there at 120 Degrees.

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He was found about a mile from his car.  There is a trail there - but, it appears, like most hikers/treasure hunters, he went off the trail. Not really sure why they flew
him to Canyon Lake - my assumption is that it was easier to do that with the heat out there.

This is the same trail taken by the 3 Utah men.  It's a pretty well-worn trail, and he was an experienced hiker - and had been there before - and only planned on going for a couple of hours. He carried 1 gallon of water.  They will figure out what happened to him and then announce it.

In the meantime, I can say that - in the last 35 years or so - I have seen, literally, hundreds of people who go out hiking or jogging - only planning on a "quickie", and bring only a small bottle of water - and we have actually had a woman ask us why we would carry all that water.  I can honestly say that I, too, in my early days, have made that very mistake - assuming that the spring that is ALWAYS there will carry us through. And it was not available. I learned my lesson that year. And, you always have to account for the unexpected - a fall, an injury of any type - getting turned around. Lots of folks mark their trails, but, there are thousands of stacked rocks and orange and pink tape out there, along with people who remove them to put theirs up, so you cannot depend on that, either.

The three Utah men brought MORE than enough water, stacked it along their trail before they went in all the way, went in at 2 in the morning when it was cool, and carried umbrellas to protect them from the sun - and, still.................

And, it doesn't just happen in the Supes. I'm saying a prayer for the family and friends of this hiker, and for any and all folks who go out into the great outdoors and don't make it back.

Mrs. O

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Sorry, didn't catch your post, for some reason.

You suggest some great things. I'd like to add - if you cannot pee enough to wet a towel - you are already in trouble.  One thing I always make sure of - for myself, and when we take someone out somewhere - is to watch for "pit/piss" stops. You need to just keep an eye on if you pee, and how much you pee, and what color it is - if it starts getting dark, you need hydration.

So many people have died of dehydration, and had a full water supply with them - its really upsetting. Even if you think you are a camel, and some folks do, especially if they are out in the desert often, you are still damaging your kidneys, whether you feel like you are ok, or not. That's one of the problems - you may not feel thirsty - drink anyway. And, salt and sugar are also a necessity, depending on how long you are planning to be out - and, when I say this, I always make the assumption that, if I'm planning a day trip, I pack for 2 days.  I'd like to say I've never had to use the extra, but, I'd be lying.  I've had to learn everything the hard way - not that people didn't tell me - they did - but, you know how it is - you get away with being stupid 10 or 20 times, and then that 21st time - bad, bad, bad.  We have actually found people NOT missing, that were dying of dehydration, so, we used up part of our water supply that we didn't plan for.

There is one problem with flapping a towel - for the person flapping the towel - you are using more energy than the person being flapped - so, make sure you are hydrated, too.

All great tips, and a good thing to watch out for others in your group. Unfortunately, searchers for lost people sometimes get so involved with the search that they forget about themselves - so, its always good to look out for everyone else. Personally, I hate it when my water gets warm, but, I drink it anyway, always carry something salty and something sweet (electrolytes), and, the one other thing - is if you are NOT sweating, or if you stop sweating.

Your point about people acting strange is VERY good - because, if you start getting disoriented or whatever, you usually can get to a point where, you don't realize it, so, you don't help yourself. Its good to have a buddy if you are going out - but, as I told a runner friend of mine, bring a watch that you can set - and set it for every half hour, so you can take care of yourself (I personally like 20 minutes better, but.....).

And, if you are out there - remember the universal "sign" of trouble.  If you see a shirt or something hanging on a bush - you might want to investigate that there isn't a person under the bush. People - both lucid and not lucid - will quite often "hide" under a bush, whatever shade they can get, and hang something on the bush to let people know where they are. Be vigilant.

And, in a couple of months - there will be a lot of folks back out in the desert - last year, even at the end of October and beginning of November, it was STILL hot, hot, hot.

Mrs. O

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