WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah — Search and rescue crews in Washington County responded to three separate calls over the past few days, all sharing an alarming similarity: those who needed to be rescued had run out of water while on the trails.
In all, a total of 16 people were involved in the combined calls, which is just another harsh reminder that water supply is as vital to hikers as good shoes and protective clothing, especially as temperatures rise to dangerous levels.
"Common threads that link all of our search and rescues is folks not necessarily being prepared, not knowing what they're getting into, not bringing their water, not bringing enough water or enough food," explained Matthew Fink, public affairs specialist at Zion National Park.
On Wednesday night, Washington County Search and Rescue responded to the report of an adult and two children being lost in Zion National Park, and almost without water and other supplies. Because of concerns over their supplies and their remote location near the Simon Gulch area, a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter was dispatched and hoisted the group to a nearby parking lot.
Zion National Park, surrounding areas haven't felt tourism downturn... yet:
The same crews were called out Thursday afternoon to the area of the Subway near Left Fork Trailhead where a man in his mid-40s was experiencing heat-related symptoms after running out of water. The man was found about a half-mile from the trailhead and treated with fluids so he could hydrate before he was able to walk to an ambulance, where he declined transport.
Just over an hour later, 12 teenagers reported that they had run out of water while on the Cottonwood Trail in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. Three members of the party shared the location of the remainder of the group, including three others who had severe heat-related symptoms. The UHP helicopter was once again called in to remove those three hikers, while the others were led back to the trailhead by search and rescue team members.
A good guideline for the amount of water to bring on a hike is at least 0.5 to 1 liter of water per hour you'll be out on the trails, knowing that higher altitudes can impact the amount needed.
