A family 11, including six children, had to be rescued from a closed Arizona trail after going hiking during an extreme heat warning.
Crews from Phoenix Fire Department were called to the Holbert Trail at South Mountain just before noon on Sunday, June 29, after the family found themselves unable to continue their hike. Most of the children were between the ages of 5 and 11, and some were displaying signs of heat exhaustion.
Crews were dispatched to the scene, where they began cooling the hikers down. Two of the children, aged nine and 11, were brought down the mountain in a stretcher while the others were assisted on their descent. No injuries were reported, and none of the hikers had to be transferred to the hospital.
The incident took place almost a year to the day that a 10-year-old boy died on a South Mountain trail after a four-hour hike in triple-digit temperatures.
“There’s no reason to be on the trails at 10am on an extreme heat day like this. Especially with younger children,” Phoenix Fire Department Captain Rob McDade tells local news outlet WOWT.
Temperatures in the Phoenix area soared to 111°F (43°C) on Sunday, which meant that South Mountain Park was closed from 8am to 5pm to keep people safe. Camelback Mountain Preserve (Echo Canyon and Cholla Trail) and Phoenix Mountains Preserve also close under extreme heat warnings.
Failure to comply with trail closures can incur a fine of up to $50 or eight hours of community service, however, officials say no citations were issued in this case.
How hot is too hot to hike?
Though there's not an official benchmark for when it's too hot to hike, the National Weather Service will issue a heat advisory if daytime highs are expected to be 100 degrees or higher for at least two days and the nighttime lows won’t drop between 75 degrees.
During a heat advisory, the official advice is that it’s time to take action with the following tips:
- Drink plenty of water
- Stay out of the sun, and in an air-conditioned place
- If you have to spend time outside, take frequent rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned places
- Wear clothing that is lightweight and loose-fitting
- Save strenuous activities for the early morning or evening
In other words, don't go hiking.
Clearly, how hot is too hot to hike varies a little from person to person, but to understand how heat can affect you on the trail, a small 2020 study looked at the effects of heat on 12 hikers as they climbed Tempe Butte – a mile-long round trip hike – in Arizona four times in 88-degree weather versus in 66-degree weather.
The study found that hot conditions significantly impaired performance (by 11 percent), reducing aerobic capacity by seven percent, increasing the rate of perceived exertion by a full 19 percent, and elevating core temperature by over one degree Fahrenheit.
If you do venture out in hot weather, carry multiple water bottles, cover your skin as much as possible, and wear a hat. Seek a shaded trail with a water source nearby where you can safely cool off as needed and as educate yourself on the signs and symptoms of heatstroke.
You can learn more in our article on excessive heat warnings.
