Hiker, 31, found dead near Lake Havasu City; crews rescue another 3 hikers in Phoenix area
A 31-year-old hiker who went missing at Sara Park near Lake Havasu City on Friday was found dead Saturday afternoon after parting ways with a group of hikers who were suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion.
According to Mohave County Sheriff's Office, deputies were requested to help locate four people who had gone hiking earlier in the day at Sara Park and had become dehydrated and could not continue to the trailhead Friday afternoon. The hikers were out of water.
Three of the hikers were located by Lake Havasu City Fire Department. A 63-year-old woman and a 27-year-old woman were transported to a hospital for immediate care and a 61-year-old man was transported to the department's command post.
After speaking with the hikers, officials learned that a 31-year-old man had left them when they called 911 to search for a trailhead. At the time, he had also showed signs of dehydration and fatigue.
"A Search and Rescue arrived on scene, the use of hiking teams, biking teams and vehicle teams were deployed along the extensive trail system at Sara Park performing a route and location search," said the Mohave County Sheriff's Office in a statement.
The search continued through Friday night and ended midday Saturday when search teams located the 31-year-old man dead in the desert wilderness off of the marked trail system.
"They were visiting Sara Park from out of town and unfamiliar with the increased danger of hiking in the heat of the day and the challenging trail system during the summer," said Mohave County Sheriff's Office.
Crews rescue at least 3 hikers in Phoenix area
Sunday morning, firefighters from Phoenix, Tempe and Chandler rescued a 60-year-old woman off of South Mountain after she suffered from heat exhaustion.
Crews were called out just before 7 a.m. after the woman's daughter noticed she was suffering from heat exhaustion.
Firefighters located the woman half a mile up the trail with an "altered level of consciousness."
According to Phoenix Fire Department, the woman was treated with advanced life support measures, loaded onto a big wheel and taken to an awaiting ambulance. She was then transported to a local hospital in extremely critical condition.
Another 54-year-old woman was assisted off of Shaw Butte hiking trail in Phoenix near Seventh Street on Sunday morning after she became overheated.
Fire crews found the woman in stable condition approximately half a mile up the mountain trail and assisted her down to the parking lot where she refused ambulance transportation to a hospital.
In addition, firefighters from Phoenix, Tempe, and Guadalupe were able to locate and assist a woman who had run out of water on the Pima Canyon Trail at South Mountain.
A friend of the hiker was able to guide rescuers to the woman's location where she was found and rescued via a motorized vehicle.
The woman showed moderate signs of dehydration on initial evaluation but refused transportation to a hospital.
Phoenix has provided the following safety measures that hikers should take when hitting the trails:
Watch the Weather: Yes, "it's a dry heat" — but Arizona's temperature can be deceiving and deadly. Hike when it's cold outside, try early mornings and evenings when there's more shade.
Dress appropriately: Wear proper shoes, clothing, hat and sunscreen.
Bring Water: Hydrate before you go. Have plenty of water, more than you think you need. Turn around and head back to the trailhead before you drink half of your water.
Keep in Contact: Carry a mobile phone.
Team Up: Hike with others. If hiking solo, tell someone your start and end times, and location.
Be Honest: Do you have a medical condition? Asthma, heart problems, diabetes, knee or back problems? Don't push yourself! "Even trained athletes have been caught off guard by getting dehydrated on Arizona trails."
Don't Trailblaze: Enjoy the Sonoran Desert's beautiful and undeveloped landscape, but please stay on designated trails.
Take Responsibility: Don't be "that person" — the one who wasn't prepared, shouldn't have been there for health reasons or ignored safety guidelines. Be the responsible hiker, who takes a hike and does it right!
From the city of Phoenix: Take a hike. Do it right.
Reach breaking news reporter Haleigh Kochanski at hkochanski@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @HaleighKochans.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hiker, 31, found dead near Lake Havasu City
