Zabriskie's Point in Death Valley - Photo by Lorissa Longfellow

In the summer, Death Valley National Park temperatures routinely go over 120 degrees. The average is about 113 degrees. Even people who bring water and are somewhat prepared can die within hours.

What can we learn

Although a boy died, we can try to look objectively at the story. What are the positives and negatives and what can we learn from it so someone else survives down the line? They weren’t reported missing until Wednesday and that is huge. They didn’t leave a specific enough plan for someone to know when they were in trouble in such a dangerous place. They did bring a case of water (24 16-ounce bottles), some snacks and sandwiches with them. It wasn’t enough for all of them but it’s more prepared than many people are that go into dangerous National Parks thinking it’s Disney World and that facilities are all over the place. Being rather naive in nature can get you rather dead. Living in the desert, I always carried two or three 5 gallon tanks of water ($4-$7 at Kmart) in my vehicle. In addition to drinking water, ice and a Coleman Extreme cooler, these extra tanks provided extra water in emergencies or for the vehicle.

Another positive is that they  stayed with the vehicle which allowed the ranger to find them by following the tracks down the remote road. It is also much easier to spot a vehicle from the air than a lone person. The mother could have wandered off, trying to take a short cut over some hills and would have almost certainly gotten into more trouble. I have seen many people die in Arizona buy walking away from their vehicle. The car is found first. The body is found later. I recall a few cases in recent years where one person is found alive at the vehicle and the person who went for help is found dead.

My personal reflections on tragedy in Death Valley National Park

Myself on the Sand Dunes in Death Valley

I have wandered onto roads in Death Valley that in hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have been on even with the truck that I had. A family member that was with me was or near crying much of the time until we got through a particular stretch. It is not a good thing when your truck is sliding backwards as you are driving forward on the edge of a drop off. But I also did it between November and March when the weather wasn’t going to kill me within a couple days. I’d have to do something stupid to do myself in. It wouldn’t be the extreme heat. It is one of my most favorite places in the world and everyone should go there at least once in a lifetime. There are no signs of Star Wars filming here long ago but it may as well be another world.

Summer is not the time for overnight camping in Death Valley. I wouldn’t even drive through it if for some reason I had to go from California to Pahrump, Nevada. You have to go up and down thousands of feet to get across it. Go north or south and take the interstates in that case. You just have another unfortunate kind of risk on those. Death Valley roads can stress vehicles to their breaking point. People try to drive through the park, passing me, with their AC at full blast while towing a boat or trailer, and then try to speed their vehicle over the thousands of feet in elevation changes. It’s too much, they wind up broken down on the side of the road and then I’m passing them. (Actually you see this scenario all over the southwest, it’s just more dangerous here. You can’t drive into Las Vegas in the summer without seeing at least a half dozen vehicles on the side of the highways.)

Lowest point in Death Valley: 280 feet below sea level at Badwater

Badwater in Death Valley National Park - Photo by Adam Longfellow

Highest point in Death Valley: 11,049 at Telescope Peak

View of Badwater from Dantes Peak, not Telescope Peak - Photo by Lorissa Longfellow

The survivor said she was following GPS directions. This is an example of GPS devices at their most dangerous. Some of them just have the highways and main roads but many of the devices have all kinds of roads on them, including 4×4 roads that are rarely driven. My own GPS units have told me to turn off cliffs and take roads that barely exist when you see them in person. I suspect she was taking a road that she shouldn’t have followed to get where she was going.

Someone lost a life. Someone lost a son. Death Valley simmers on in silence. This is another reminder that more of us need once in a while before heading out. Enjoy the harsh beauty but respect the fragile life.

By Adam Longfellow

I don’t want this to be about a particular case and it’s details but it is what got me thinking. Does having a cell phone make people think they are always safe and therefore make people think that they do not need to prepare as much when they go into the wilderness? People use them for GPS devices, for lights in the dark, and to call when they are lost.

Do I carry a cell phone? Usually, but I don’t expect it to work when I am out in nature. Coverage is getting better but it still doesn’t work in most of the places I find myself. I probably wouldn’t be calling 911 until I knew I was in real trouble. Most of these situations occur when a mountain or wilderness area hangs over a populated city like Santa Fe or Phoenix, Arizona. I mention Phoenix because I used to be in Arizona and remember all the people that would go up into the nearby mountains late in the day or without much water and have to be rescued.

It is not Disney World out there. Try standing at the top of the Grand Canyon right by the Bright Angel Trailhead and watch how many people start walking on it without any gear. It is quite amazing. They walk right by the signs telling about young top notch athletes that die there because they under estimate nature. I once watched an older couple looking for the wheel chair acess ramp for the trail.

If you go on a hike, you should be carrying water and snacks for at least a couple days. I Even when I’m walking near my own neighborhood, I keep a habit going and carry a small backpack. It always has water, a breakfast bar, trail mix, compass, a glowstick, waterproof matches and first aid in it, ready to go at all times.  I have it at home, in my car and my RV at all times. Even if you are just going on a trail or a day hike, you should plan on being out longer with some minimal supplies. People should have maps or know an area when they go out on the trails. With a GPS device, she could mark the trailhead and always have something to head back towards when lost. So GPS devices are better than cell phones but one should not rely on them completely either. Batteries and electronic devices fail. There is no shortage of books, map and outdoor gear in stores all over the world. Be prepared.

The cost and danger of people wandering around with cell phones, doing things they wouldn’t have done before they had the phone, is getting out of control. What do you think?

This is a sad reminder that nature is both wonderful and beautiful yet real and dangerous at all times. From a bear in your campground to a slip of the foot on a trail, from a sparking campfire to a falling tree eaten by bark beetles, nature is real and we need to stay alert and cautious at all times.

I observe people almost on a daily basis while out in the wild that appear to think they are in a theme park. They seem to think that there is no danger and that someone will help them up at any moment. They have a truck, a SUV or 4WD and feel invincible so they speed on blind curve mountainous roads putting others at risk. I’ve noticed in recent years that every vehicle I see off a road, stuck in bad weather or in a ditch is one of those aforementioned invincible ones. People pose for pictures in precarious spots. They let their kids and house pets run around by themselves like there is a large fence keeping out nature’s predators. They start a hike in the summer like they expect a water fountain and bathrooms along the trails. They’ll complain about paying a tax while sitting at home but then feel safe in nature at all times because they are just a helicopter rescue away from their couch and the Discovery Channel.

If this man from Yosemite could tell you something now, he might tell you it’s just not so…