The Grand Canyon.Photo:Getty
Getty
A 57-year-old woman has died while hiking the Grand Canyon in triple-digit temperatures.
The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report of a distressed day hiker inTuweep— a remote, hard-to-reach area of the Grand Canyon National Park — on Sunday at approximately 6:30 p.m., according to a National Park Servicenews release.
A ranger responded to the report and arrived on the scene on July 3 at 1 a.m. where they found the hiker, a 57-year-old woman who was not identified in the NPS’ release. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
While the NPS did not detail what may have caused the hiker’s death, it noted that temperatures at Tuweep were well over 100°F on the day she sent the distress call. The NPS also recorded a high temperature of 114°F at Phantom Ranch, which is 250 miles away from Tuweep near the Colorado River along the North Kaibab trail.
In light of the tragedy, Grand Canyon National Park rangers urged visitors, especially “inner canyon hikers and backpackers,” to “be prepared for excessively hot days” in the next few weeks.
Grand Canyon officials also issued an “excessive heat warning” for the inner canyon portions of the park, which is set to take effect until July 5.
The NPS noted that temperatures in the Grand Canyon trail could reach over 120°F in the shade and that it did not recommend hikers go out on the trail between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. due to the risk of “heat-related illnesses.”
Park officials warned hiking in extreme heat could lead to health risks including heat exhaustion, heat stroke and hyponatremia, which is a life-threatening electrolyte imbalance from drinking too much water and not consuming enough salt.
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In May, a 36-year-old woman, from Westfield, Ind. alsodied while hikingat the Grand Canyon. She had been attempting to hike to the Colorado River and back within a single day when she sent a distress call.
Tragically, the woman “became pulseless” after responders arrived on the scene and could not be resuscitated.
source: people.com
