California family found dead on hike killed by extreme heat, sheriff says

[bullwinkle428]

The California family that died in August while hiking in Sierra national forest was killed by extreme heat and probable dehydration, law enforcement officials announced on Thursday, providing some answers to a mystery that had baffled investigators for months.

The Mariposa county sheriff’s department believes 45-year-old Jonathan Gerrish, originally from the UK, his wife, 30-year-old Ellen Chung, their one-year-old daughter, Miju, and their dog, Oski, died while on a hike on the Hites Cove trail on 15 August. Temperatures were as high as 109F (42.8C) that day, and the majority of the eight-mile trail has little shade or trees.

The unusual case had stumped law enforcement since 17 August when officials found the bodies of the family and their dog on the remote hiking trail near the Devil’s Gulch area in Sierra national forest. They were all found in the same area, and it appeared they had completed most of the hike, Briese said.

Their vehicle was located a little more than a mile away, near a gate to the forest. A friend had reported the family, described as avid hikers, as missing. An 85-ounce water container the family had with them was empty, and they had no other water. There is no cellphone reception on the trail.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/21/california-family-hike-cause-of-death

How utterly tragic. While they may have been experienced hikers, they clearly underestimated the amount of water they would require in that kind of heat. I'm a cyclist, and take 50 ounces of water on every ride I take, and make sure I'm aware of locations to refill bottles on longer riders, especially on particularly hot days.