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[quote=Anonymous]The duality of nature is tragically illustrated by this incident.  The beauty and apparent perfection of nature inspires us to experience it as thoroughly as our individual circumstances permit.  However, the challenge and danger of it is frightening and will injure or kill us with ease when our personal safety taken for granted.  One always needs to use conservative judgement when balancing that real threat against our exploratory desires.

My family has experienced most of the big national parks, including extensive hiking.  This includes several Yosemite hikes and even a very short hike in Death Valley during the peak heat season in August (about 128 degrees in the shade).  I was so cautious about driving into Death Valley that I put a 5-gallon plastic jug of water in our rental car – just in case of a breakdown.  Despite being prepared with the proper clothes, water and other protective measures, the feeling of walking in such heat for even a single mile was unnerving.  Simply breathing causes the inside of the nostrils to feel like you are in a dry sauna – a weird burning smell.  Close to home, during the summer we have experienced similar temperatures and conditions in the southern portions of Shenandoah, so these hazards present themselves locally.  Unprepared people really do die on even relatively short hikes in these parks – sometimes caused by a sudden natural development or by aggravating a pre-existing health problem through extreme stress.  My brother in law married a woman whose late husband (an experienced outdoorsman) froze to death while hiking alone and unprepared in Yosemite in the late spring.  A sudden freakish ice storm killed him.  Hard to say what happened in this case, but I have the gut feeling that a combination of excessive heat, an unusual natural occurrence and inability to obtain help killed them.

I am the Scoutmaster of the all-girl Scouts BSA Troop in DC and remember these outdoor tragedies when we instruct our Scouts to favor caution over enthusiasm in heading into the wilderness.  Bring plenty of clean water, dress carefully, have a means of communication and always tell someone where you are going and when you are expecting to return.
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