[pct-l] Why did two hikers die in Utah desert? Sage advice

Tue Jul 25 14:10:11 CDT 2006

We heard about these deaths last week. They hit home to us because a few ADT 
hikers will pass thru this area in the next couple of months.

We have practical experience with Lockhart Basin in triple degree heat. The 
basin is about 20 miles south of Moab, UT on the east side of the Colorado 
River. Lockhart Canyon is the drainage from the basin into the nearby 
Colorado River. We spent 2 memorable, hot days in Lockhart Basin last August 
15 & 16. The memories are twofold: the red rock rims in this area are our 
new favorite scenic area; the road walk is as dry as it is scenic. Any 
flowing water in this area of Utah looks like chocolate milk from the red 
soil in the water. The trail is a jeep road bounded on the north by a nearly 
impassable jeep section and on the south by a ford of a flowing creek that 
swells in any rain storm. We saw nobody in those 2 days.

We buried water in Lockhart Basin in September 2004 to pick up when we 
walked thru in August 2005. Unfortunately someone found our cache in 
Lockhart Basin. They uncovered the tops of the bottles and punched holes in 
the tops of the bottles. One bottle was completely dry, the other had about 
1/3 of a gallon of water, but had bugs floating in it. We filtered the 1/3 
gallon of water to save it. We had a thunder shower that night so I placed 
our cook pot outside our tent and collected a little more water. The next 
morning I found a few rocks that still had water pooled on their tops and 
filtered it. We started early and hiked into Needles Outpost outside 
Canyonlands Natl Park.

The experience of having one of our early caches vandalized was traumatic. 
We worried about our caches of water until we found the next few 
undisturbed. Then we relaxed, but found the caches harder to find than we 
expected. All that sagebrush looks alike a year after caching the water. I 
can supply GPS coordinates to several gallons of water buried between Moab, 
UT and Fallon, NV if anyone wants to go on a treasure hunt. The GPS 
coordinates were not accurate enough that we could find the water. Sometimes 
we didn't look very hard though.

Another interesting fact we discovered after caching water in Lockhart 
Basin. We took a wrong turn at the only junction and ended up caching 3 
gallons of water at the head of Lockhart Canyon about 2 miles off trail.

We think we had several things on our side when we started thru this area. 
We had driven most of the trail the year before and knew where several 
reliable springs existed in the desert. We already had hiked across Kansas 
in high heat so our bodies were adjusted to the heat. We cached water 20 
miles apart and we were walking over 25 miles per day so we had some leeway. 
We also sometimes stopped in the afternoons when the heat became oppressive. 
A couple of times we were out of water, but knew we could make it to the 
next cache or spring. We were both aware of the symptoms of heat exhaustion 
and heat stroke and we watched for symptoms.

We were very sorry to hear of the hikers deaths and send our best wishes to 
their friends and families.

Ken
...GottaWalk

www.trailjournals.com/GottaWalkADT

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "matt maxon" <matt at mattmaxon.com>
To: "PCT List" <pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 8:53 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Why did two hikers die in Utah desert? Sage advice

*http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_4072789

Why did two hikers die in Utah desert?*
Autopsies pending: N.J. man in survival course carried no water; Boston
teen, party got separated

By Christopher Smart
The Salt Lake Tribune <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_4072789>

Two East Coast hikers died Sunday and Monday while participating in
organized programs under scorching temperatures in southern Utah's
redrock country.

The question is why?

Autopsies scheduled for Wednesday may reveal the physical causes of
death for Elisa D. Santry, 16, of Boston, and Dave Bushow, 29, of River
Vale, N.J.

But other questions will linger.

Why were they hiking in such extreme heat? Had they consumed enough
water and electrolytes? Did their guides have experience in recognizing
heat exhaustion?

Circumstances surrounding their deaths were ripe for tragedy, according
to veteran desert hiker and backpacker Steve Lewis.

"The jump from heat exhaustion to heat stroke can be very quick. I call
it the 'silent stalker.' It can grab the most resilient hiker," he said
Wednesday. "But an experienced hiker knows you don't plan hikes for the
middle of the day when temperatures are that high."

Santry was on the 16th day of a 22-day Outward Bound "multi-element"
course that included hiking, backpacking and rafting. On the day of her
death, she was hiking in temperatures of up to 110 degrees in the
Lockhart Canyon area near Canyonlands National Park, according to the
San Juan County Sheriff's Office.

By contrast, Bushow was on the first day of a 28-day survival course
offered by the Boulder Outdoor Survival School. Temperatures were in the
mid-to-high 90s as he climbed through the rugged Cottonwood Wash of the
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. He carried no water.

State regulations for wilderness-therapy programs disallow hiking in
temperatures above 90 degrees and demand consumption of at least three
quarts of water when temperatures top 80 degrees. But volunteer
programs, such as Outward Bound and Boulder Outdoor Survival School, are
not regulated, according to Ken Stettler, director of the licensing
office for the state Department of Human Services.

Both victims were in areas where heat is reflected off sand and canyon
walls, and high temperatures are intensified, Lewis said. If they were
unfamiliar with desert hiking, they might not have recognized the peril
they were in.

"If you're in sandy or rocky areas, you get the furnace effect," he
said. "People who don't have experience [with heat exhaustion] can't
relate to what is happening to them. And then, a truck just hits you."

Santry became separated from her party, as the group of six hiked toward
rafts waiting for them at the Colorado River, according to Mickey
Freeman, Outward Bound Wilderness.

Her colleagues noticed her missing about 6 p.m. Her body was found about
11 p.m. There was water remaining in her bottle.

"We've never had a heat-related death, or a water-dehydration death, in
45 years," Freeman said.

Bushow was at the end of the first day of what is called "impact days,"
where participants are not allowed to carry food or water, according to
Diane Nagler of the Boulder, Colo.- based survival school.

"Although you don't carry food and water with you, the instructor guides
you to food and water in nature," she said. Participants "don't carry
water bottles, but they do carry cups."

Bushow, who had complained of muscle cramps and fatigue, sat down at
7:30 p.m. to rest and apparently passed out. A few minutes later, his
companions could find no pulse.

Survival school guides are certified through the Wilderness Medicine
Institute of Nols, Nagler noted. The 10-day, first-responder program
extensively covers heat exhaustion, its warning signs and treatment, she
said.

Outward Bound instructors receive extensive first-responder training and
are always looking for warning signs of heat exhaustion, said Freeman.

Lewis said backcountry hikers and guides must be flexible enough to
modify hikes when temperatures soar to the mid-90s.

"The leadership of those groups should have had enough sense to change
plans, to get in the shade and stay there. People who don't change plans
walk into a trap," he said.

"That's what happens. They roll the dice and people die."

Precautions for hiking in weather above 90 degrees
* Seek protection under a wide-brimmed, ventilated hat.
* Keep body temperature down with lightweight, loose-fitting clothing.
* Wear sunscreen on exposed skin.
* Drink enough water to cause urination.
* Keep electrolytes up by drinking sports drinks.
* Stay in the shade between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
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