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Another example of people being woefully unprepared for what they are attempting to do. Sad story that could have been avoided with a bit of preparation.
Preparation? You mean research, to discover that they'd chosen the wrong season to go, and should reschedule for spring break. I wonder if they told friends or relatives; if so, did no one think to warn them, or tell them to forget it?
I am not familiar with "The Maze" by that name. But i have done a lot of hiking there in hot weather and not. There is at least one Oasis that has a small to largish pool of water and some trees and is cooler. There are also quite a number of small caves scattered in the rock formations. No water, but much cooler in the caves. Still 6 days, even if they found some water, they cannot be alive in those conditions. It is pretty easy to get lost hiking in JT. I did twice, but only for a few hours (well 12 hours is a few right?). Usually, if you make enough noise, you will eventually attract notice. There are a lot of free climbers all over the place, hikers, 4x4 adventurers, campers, etc. It is a pretty busy place much of the time, but it depends on where you are.
Another example of people being woefully unprepared for what they are attempting to do. Sad story that could have been avoided with a bit of preparation.
What preparation did they have or didn't they have? It looked like no one knows from the story. Anyone can get lost, even people who think they are special super-hikers who know more than "those idiots" who get into trouble.
Take lots of water? For a multi-day hike? Even for an afternoon, that type of heat and aridity would mean each hiker would have to carry a pack full of water. I tried hiking in the mountains outside Santa Fe for just a couple of hours. I consumed my entire water supply after about 20 minutes, and turned back. Too hot.
Summer is not the season to hike in desert regions. The CO forum just had a thread by a guy from out of state who chose a summer vacation hiking/camping trip in CO, and didn't understand how people manage it, in the heat and the monsoon lightning storms. The answer is--they don't even try. They do that stuff in the shoulder seasons, when it's cooler and there's no rain. Not to mention the heightened fire risk in the summers. Camping in the SW isn't even allowed some summers.
Seems like people should get Forest Service approval, or ranger approval, after submitting their itinerary, when they want to hike or camp in the national parks. I suppose that's not practical, but it would save lives.
Uhmmm... I never mentioned anything about a multi day hike. If someone is PLANNING a multi day hike in the desert in August, they'd unplan it pretty quickly. I've camped off road any number of times in Canyonlands and Arches NP in all four seasons. I always take a minimum of thirty gallons of water - 40 in the summer. My orienteering GPS is my BFF and I never stray far from my camp without it. I take topographic maps and I pause every now and then to orient myself and check the landscape. I never go hiking in the heat of day in the summer. No thanks. As someone else posted, why would that be anyone's idea of a fun time? If I want to hike in the summer, I head for the mountains.
I live in a town that's surrounded by National Parks and National Monuments and it seems like search and rescue is out looking for someone every other day. That's fine if you have volunteered to do this, but to continue searching and spending money on helicopters after 3 days in such conditions is a waste of money (often the taxpayer's) and potentially the would-be rescuer's lives.
Uhmmm... I never mentioned anything about a multi day hike. If someone is PLANNING a multi day hike in the desert in August, they'd unplan it pretty quickly. I've camped off road any number of times in Canyonlands and Arches NP in all four seasons. I always take a minimum of thirty gallons of water - 40 in the summer. My orienteering GPS is my BFF and I never stray far from my camp without it. I take topographic maps and I pause every now and then to orient myself and check the landscape. I never go hiking in the heat of day in the summer. No thanks. As someone else posted, why would that be anyone's idea of a fun time? If I want to hike in the summer, I head for the mountains.
I live in a town that's surrounded by National Parks and National Monuments and it seems like search and rescue is out looking for someone every other day. That's fine if you have volunteered to do this, but to continue searching and spending money on helicopters after 3 days in such conditions is a waste of money (often the taxpayer's) and potentially the would-be rescuer's lives.
Yeah, I'm just saying that it was a bad idea all 'round. I suppose we don't know for sure if they were just on a day hike (which would be too long in that heat, even if only for a day), or a weekend hike. It was still a bad idea. And frankly, even with 30-40 gallons of water, the heat would have either killed them, or cause heatstroke, anyway. I wonder if they even bothered to check the temperature forecast before their jaunt.
The cave idea someone mentioned intrigues me, now. I wonder if they decided to hide out from the heat in a cave, and that's why they couldn't be found? You'd think they'd have come out, once they heard helicopters, though. We'll probably never know, until years from now, when someone comes across their bodies.
I used to climb quite a bit in Joshua Tree, but not during the summer, when it's impossible. I have been there just for the day in the summer, though. Unprepared, inexperienced people have no idea what that kind of dry heat is like.
Sit down on the tailgate of your truck, take a sandwich out of the cooler, unwrap it and take a bite. Set it down while you drink some water and eat a few grapes. Pick up the sandwich again. The bread is now dried out and crusty. It happens that fast.
I don't know what these people took with them on their hike, but unless it was 5 gallons of water that they were trundling behind them in a wagon, hiking wasn't a smart idea.
I grew up in the Mojave Desert. You don't hike in the summer. You just don't. In the summer, your outdoor activities in the desert are during sunrise or sunset hours. There is plenty of time in late fall, winter or spring to be outdoors. In the high desert, like Joshua Tree, winter temperatures can be very cold & windy, to the point of hypothermia.
Any time of the year, people need to bring a lot of WATER! The air has extremely low humidity, year round, & sucks moisture out of you...that's why it's the desert. Tourists never understand that. They need to study the survival habits of the now-endangered desert tortoise.
Last edited by MarciaMarshaMarcia; 08-02-2017 at 11:23 AM..
A lack of respect for Nature is very common nowadays. Also not much common sense left.
I agree and we see it a lot in Southern California. There are a lot of serious wilderness spots around Los Angeles that you can get to in 45 minutes and you get a lot of casual hikers or completely inexperienced hikers that go out on advanced hikes with nothing buy a 16 ounce bottle of water and no compass/maps/gps etc. We even have people getting air lifted off of mountains in Burbank and other urban areas because they got lost, ran out of water, got exhaustion and generally had no preparation for anything
not to sound cruel but there is something to be said about natural selection
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Not to mention the heightened fire risk in the summers. Camping in the SW isn't even allowed some summers. 
