Toxic algae Sierra national forest

Heatstroke is a serious medical emergency. It can come on quickly and victims need quick emergency treatment. Delay can bring on death. Heatstroke can happen to anyone including athletes and people in great shape. As I said I now think heatstroke/hyperthermia is reasonable as the cause of death. I have seen a person suffering heatstroke. He was fishing from shore on a 100+ day. He was suffering delirium, severe headaches, had a seizure and drifted in and out of consciousness. He left in an ambulance. Do a little research on the subject and you’ll see it is likely the cause of death.

 

I'd like to know how close the bodies were to each other and in what kind of positions they lay. Also whether they had any water still in containers, how far they had hiked, and several other questions.

I've seen dogs have trouble on a trail, and I've seen people have trouble, but I've never seen two adult people AND a dog all go down. The baby? That brings some questions too.

I can't help wondering if the guy was a welder at a nuclear reactor and was somehow contaminated, contaminating those close to him, and the powers that be want to keep a lid on it... or something like that.

I'd like to know what happens to their vehicle.

 

I just feel like as a dad I would have allocated all of the water to my wife and baby… and dog before me. I get the hyperthermia dx but at the same time just doesn’t sit right. I’m a medical professional and it just seems like a fallback dx after coming up with no other differential diagnosis.

 

Due to the ongoing drought and high summer temps almost no stream or river is safe to drink from or swim in after July in CA due to bacteria, parasites, etc. A few years ago, after swimming in a local (traditionally safe) river, I not only got sick but developed a skin rash that lead to an itch that couldn’t be scratched. I had to hang out in a hot bathtub for 3 days. My friend who was with me also fell ill and developed the same skin condition but he went to the hospital and was diagnosed with the parasites associated with “swimmers itch.” I think I’ll hold off from swimming/drinking in any non alpine river or lake in CA/OR.

 

It was stated in the article referenced above they were carrying an empty 85oz water container.

In that same scenario, I could imagine giving all the water to my wife, baby and dog before me, and they could still be thirsty.
And because she wouldn't drink it all, I could also see my wife override that decision when I collapse and get delirious.

Even going downhill is quite an exertion in 108F heat. 1.6mi is a very very long way in that case.

 

Definitely. I could totally see my wife overriding it too.. I remember as a kid my dad, twin brother and I ran out of water on a longer hike and started to feel the beginning of the effects of hyperthermia. So I totally get it’s possible

 

I got heat exhaustion and was on the way to heat stroke this summer hiking in Goblin Valley and it was 95ish, maybe 100. Back in college I worked in a cabinet shop and got heat stroke on a day that was probably only 85-88. 107+? Yeah, I think they easily could have gotten heat stroke. If the water wasn't cool/cold it wouldn't really have done them any favors despite having a lot.

I agree with Daniel, 1.6 miles can be very long if you've got heat exhaustion, never mind heat stroke. The goblin valley hike I was on was 1.5 miles. We turned around just before the end because of the heat and we barely made it back to the car in time for me to be ok.

What an unfortunate incident.

 

I think the most likely scenario is a sequential event. E.g. mom gets heat stroke, dad stays with her to try to cool her off, maybe trying to wait out the hot part of the day, but not able to leave, then dad gets heat stroke. Dog is doing its best to stay cool, stays by the owners, owners go down, dog stays nearby then perishes. Baby is just along for the tragic ride. Such a terrible story.

Hiking in hot weather is no joke. In addition to fresh water I always try to bring some sort of water filtration option. They're so cheap and light now that there's pretty much no reason not to carry one.

 

This ^^^. As I previously stated heatstroke is serious shit. I think it most likely he suffered heatstroke first. 107 degrees, insufficient water and no shade. When you suffer heatstroke you become incapacitated. You can’t walk, you may have seizures, you may hallucinate, you lose consciousness and there are other symptoms too. He breaks down on the trail. She doesn’t know what’s happening. She can’t carry him and doesn’t know what to do. She stays with him and soon thereafter she goes into heatstroke. The child and dog are doomed at that point. The dog may have been the first to experience heatstroke as dogs overheat way easier and faster than humans. They are much more intolerant of heat than humans.
Once you go into heatstroke you will die without emergency treatment. You likely won’t last longer that an hour or two.
I saw someone suffering heatstroke. EMS arrived and the victim was like a vegetable. I do not know if he survived. Years ago one of my hunting dogs suffered the beginning of heatstroke while hunting. I immediately got him into cold water in a near by river. Had I not been close to cold water to immerse him he would have died.
I think it most likely the family succumbed to heatstroke.