Two inexperienced hikers had to be rescued after becoming lost and falling ill on Phoenix's South Mountain.
The pair ascended the Arizona peak in scorching afternoon heat at around 4pm on Tuesday, August 12, without proper shoes or ample supplies. That evening, after nightfall, they called 911 to request rescue, saying they were overheated and lost.
The inexperienced pair were "not familiar with the trail," according to Phoenix fire Captain Rob McDade.
"They were asking a lot of themselves, and look what happened," he told 12 News.
Rescuers tracked the cell phone the hikers had called from and found the pair around a mile from a popular trailhead. Due to the challenging underfoot terrain and low light, they opted to dispatch a helicopter to collect the pair.
“We dispatched our Phoenix police department Firebird 10 hoist helicopter,” continued McDade.
“We put firefighters in it, our technical rescue team members hoisted it down and got them off the mountain.”
Hiking advice
Following the rescue, McDade was keen to illustrate the dangers of hiking at night.
"The heat is just the beginning of potential dangers for even experienced night hikers," he continued.
"You can only see as far as your light can light up. You no longer have depth perception. We see an increase of low extremity injuries, people blow out knees, your ankles."
If you're insistent on trekking in the dark, McDade says you should bring plenty of supplies, including a headlamp and a fully charged phone. Hiking in groups is also advisable, as fellow trekkers can assist in emergencies.
On this occasion, the hikers had sufficient cell signal and were able to successfully call for help, but this may not always be the case.
If you're heading into a remote area, it might be worth investing in a satellite communicator, which you can use to request rescue regardless of how remote you are.
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