Does anyone know any more about the dead hiker they found on the PCT last week? He was found several miles north of Highway 58 near Mojave, 2 empty water bottles, but they didn’t mention a cause of death. Does that make 3 deaths this year?
Padre
Padre
I know there was a guy who fell and then this guy but who is the third your talking about?
Do we have a trail name?
Striker
the second was Richard Menke. Died of a heart attack only a few days after beginning his thru-hike.
yogi
The first I heard about was No Way Ray, and the second is the guy Yogi mentioned. The 3rd was one I read about in the paper last week. An odd time of year to be on that stretch of trail. Maybe a section hiker. Here’s the text:
Man found dead on trail with empty water containers
BY STEVE E. SWENSON, Bakersfield Californian staff writer
e-mail: sswenson@bakersfield.com | Saturday, Jul 15 2006
A man who appeared to be in his mid-40s was found dead on the Pacific Crest Trail northeast of Sand Canyon, Kern County sheriff’s deputies reported Saturday.
The man who had identification that indicated he lived in another state had two empty water containers in his backpack, Sgt. Mike Kirkland said.
The man’s identity has not been confirmed and the cause of his death is pending an autopsy, Kirkland said.
He was found Friday at about 5 p.m. right on the Pacific Crest Trail, a popular hiking trail that stretches from Mexico to Canada, Kirkland said.
But the trail is less used in the desert-like Kern County section, he said. It appeared the man may have been dead on the trail for two days or more, Kirkland said.
The body was about four or five miles north of Highway 58 near Cache Peak, the sergeant said.
A small group of off-road motorcyclists and quad runners discovered the body and then reported the find to sheriff’s deputies.
The trail was among hilly desert brush and small trees, Kirkland said. It is not unusual for backpackers to spend days, weeks or months on the trail – veering off to get supplies from stores along the way, Kirkland said.
“Hikers who go alone love it,” Kirkland said. "They are really passionate about it."
Deputies had not yet had a chance to check with stores to determine when the man was last seen alive, he said. He thought there was a creek within a couple miles of the body, but he wasn’t sure if it had water in it, the sergeant said.
Padre
There were a bunch of fools on the PCT-L last month yapping about hiking the desert in July. Wonder if it was one of them?
Dust
He’s not the only one.
2 Hikers Die in Utah Desert, 1 in S.D.
July 19, 2006 - 6:14
MOAB, Utah. Two people died during separate hiking trips in the rugged southern Utah desert country, one a participant in a wilderness survival course and the other a teenager who got separated from her group in 110-degree heat, officials said.
Another hiker died of apparent heat exhaustion and dehydration in South Dakota’s Badlands National Park, the park’s chief ranger said.
Near Boulder, Utah, Dave Buschow, 29, died Monday night while taking part in a 28-day survival course offered by the Boulder Outdoor Survival School, Garfield County spokeswoman Becki Bronson said.
Buschow, of River Vale, N.J., was on the second day of the $3,000 course and in a group of 12 with three staff members.
The school said in a statement that Buschow “passed out with no pulse or signs of breathing” a few minutes after he sat down to rest, and that efforts to revive him failed.
Temperatures were in the low 90s in the area, the National Weather Service said.
Bronson said the group hiked all day Monday “with very little food or water.” Buschow “was complaining about lack of water and cramping and still given very little water, and it was still hot,” she said.
Diane Nagler, a spokeswoman for the school, said that although students are not allowed to carry water bottles, they have access to water along the route.
“They carry a cup,” she said. "It’s very well planned-out."
The school’s Web site says its field courses teach participants how to survive in wilderness with minimal food, water, clothing and gear.
“Our goal is to take you from a world of convenience and comfort and put you in a situation where you must go ‘just a little bit farther’ past those false limits your mind has set for your body,” the site says.
On Sunday, Elisa D. Santry, 16, of South Boston, Mass., died on the 16th day of a three-week Outward Bound Wilderness course near Canyonlands National Park. The temperature was about 110, said San Juan County Sheriff Mike Lacy.
Organizers said the girl was with five other teens, ages 16 to 18, hiking through heavy brush to reach rafts waiting for them at the Colorado River.
As they were nearing the river, she had lagged behind, possibly to wait for another hiker, the sheriff’s office said Tuesday. The other hiker reached the river but Santry did not show up. She was later found up a small side canyon, the sheriff’s office said.
“There was no evidence of foul play,” said Mickey Freeman, president of Outward Bound Wilderness. Autopsies of Santry and Buschow were conducted, but additional tests are needed in both cases, said Dr. Edward Leis, Utah’s deputy chief
medical examiner.
Santry had passed a medical screening before joining the program, Outward Bound said. The organization canceled the remaining five days of the program, which included hiking, climbing and rafting. There were 13 other teens participating.
Canyonlands National Park is about 200 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, and Boulder is about 200 miles south of the city.
In southwestern South Dakota, a woman hiking on a short but steep Badlands trail died Sunday, when the temperature was well over 100 degrees.
Other hikers found the body of Joan Kovach, 52, of Canfield, Ohio, Chief Ranger Mark Gorman said.
“Where she eventually gave in, her water bottles were empty and unfortunately she just did not have enough water for the conditions,” Gorman said. He said people hiking in the park during extreme heat should carry at least a gallon of water.
Dust
It seems that some folks on this thread seem to be taking this news with an "i told you so " attitude that borders on glee. The guys dead. Try to be a little respectful.
Striker