Posted on 07/29/2021 10:21:39 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA – A Tukwila man who went hiking in Death Valley National Park during triple-digit heat was found dead by park rangers on Wednesday.
The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office says family members called The Inn at Death Valley after 68-year-old Douglas Branham missed his flight home and found that he hadn’t checked out.
Family say Branham planned to hike from Badwater to West Side Road, a 12-mile-round trip hike across salt flat. His car was found in the Badwater parking lot.
His cause of death is under investigation, but the sheriff’s office says Branham likely started his hike on Sunday or Monday when temperatures were 118 degrees and humidity was 91%.
Park rangers urge that anyone visiting Death Valley in the summer hike before 10 a.m. and drink plenty of water.
I agree one should never hike alone
in unfamiliar territory. Given that,
there a certain precautions to be
followed in harsh desert conditions.
Not all of death valley is flat arid
landscape. Similar terrains can be
found in any of the 4 corners states.
Water is paramount. Some means of
shade are equally as important.
I’ve lived in this desert environment
most of my 66 years.
Sad that this individual succumbed
to the oven. There’s also the
possibility this poor soul had some
underlying condition that cut his
hike short.
I’m thinking transposed digits.
“... and drink plenty of water.”
I read a story about a bike rider on some back trails in the desert. He still had water in his bottles, but his body needed electrolytes to process the water. (I didn’t know that was a thing). He was in really bad shape, cramping up, couldn’t ride anymore, etc. Luckily he had a locator beacon and a plan with some friends that lived an hour away and they rescued him.
The full breadth and depth of the Death Valley experience.
Probably COVID-19.
He should have been carrying Brawndo. It has electrolytes, which bike riders crave.
Cause of death...stupidity.
I chose not to work in my garage yesterday (hanging ceiling racks) because the temp was in the mid-nineties. 118° in the desert? No way.
Your thoughts reflect my thinking. Common sense dictates extreme caution with those levels of heat. There was absolutely some other motivation in play.
Even a dew point of 91 seems really high.
I agree, although there may be more to this than you think.
I am 61. If I ever get to the point where Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s is robbing me of my mind, and putting my family into a support situation I would not want them to be in, I might decide to take a very long swim or a very rigorous hike at times which “normal” people might think was not wise.
I will let God be the final judge.
Agree. Been in the DFW area for 42 years and it seems far more humid than when we first arrived.
“Park rangers urge that anyone visiting Death Valley in the summer hike before 10 a.m. and drink plenty of water.”
Drinking too much pure water can kill you. Your electrolytes become diluted, and things stop working. You need to drink water that is enhanced with potassium, magnesium, etc.
Horrible advice by the park rangers if the article is correct.
One Saturday morning, I decided to walk to the town of 29 Palms from the base. It looked like it was not that far away and actually closer if I walked across the desert instead of following the road.
Well things in the desert are much further away than they appear. I walked for several hours to get there and I was probably the thirstiest I ever was in my life up to that point. All I did the rest of the day was drink fluids to rehydrate myself and I had a mild case of sun stroke. Another few miles would have done me in for sure and I was just 18 and in the best shape of my life.
I took the bus back to the base!
...makes her (YouTube) living exploring in and around Death Valley/abandoned mining camps/old homesteads in CA/NV. A lot of it is the same 'ole poop...but she'll (at times) do a history/profile that makes her content somewhat interesting.
...though I'd say her "interesting" background and quirky personality probably get her subscribers more than anything else.
BTW, when I lived in SoCal T'Storms in the desert were...cool
...the sights/smells/lightning shows...awesome.
Im going caving next month about an hour south of Vegas then to red rock canyon.
Im bringing a camelback and two 30 oz bottles of water.
Folks don’t understand how dangerous high temps and long hikes are.
“I was stationed on 29 Palms, CA after boot camp for additional training.”
We had to fly a package into 29 Palms in the middle of summer. Opening the aircraft door was like opening the door of a blast furnace.
HOT!!!
Having said all that, you still aren't really ready for waking UP that trail until you do it. It is tough!
I think the person who said the man had a suicide wish MAY have been correct. A sane person would NOT have attempted this without being prepared....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.