missing hiker found dead

[Dschur]

Missing hiker found dead after mountain fall
by Megan Boehnke - May. 10, 2009 12:21 PM
The Arizona Republic
A missing hiker was found dead Saturday night after police think she may have slipped and fallen down the mountain side.

The 52-year-old woman, whose name has not been released by the Surprise Police Department, was reported missing by family at about 11 p.m. when she didn't return from a hike. Officers searched a nearby mountain near 157th Avenue and Dynamite Road that the woman was known to frequent. They found her body about 40 minutes later.

Police are still investigating the death, though they think it is accidental.

[Hoffmaster]

I was scrambling down a rock face one time and slipped on some ice ... it was maybe 25-30 feet to the ground below, and I was certain I was going down, but somehow my boot caught on the lip of the ledge and held me.

Shortly after moving to AZ, I went to Workman Creek to take pics of the waterfall. I was at the top of the falls, straddling the creek for some reason, when I slipped and fell in the creek and started sliding towards the edge! With about 10 ft left till impending freefall, my boots caught into some rock in the narrow watercourse, and thankfully held me there. I'm not sure if you've been to Workman Creek, but the resulting impact from falling over the edge would have been gruesome. Me = splattered on a big boulder.

When I was 11 or 12, I tumbled down part of Cunningham Falls in MD, after slipping on algae. My parents yelled at me for causing a scene, and the prisms in my binoculars got knocked out of whack from smashing against the rocks. I don't have a good track record with waterfalls.

[Jeffshadows]

This is getting editorial so I just want to reiterate that my post was generally-accepted guidelines and statistics. The human body is not a linear system by any means. Never mind falls and take, for example, a grueling day-long ascent in heat of over 5,000' gain. I might think it was fun while another 30-something might think it's a warm-up while yet another might die in the undertaking. Guidelines and statistics are humanity's attempt at leveling the playing field to keep everyone safe. ;)

[nonot]

As a kid I used to jump off all sorts of stupid things like Matt. Surprisingly I never broke anything, though I did come home bleeding alot.

I ranked sand above bushes because sometimes the bush slows you down, sometimes it breaks off and skewers you.

Did anyone ever go to the sand dunes as a kid and start running down as fast as you could? Eventually your legs could not keep up and you'd roll down the rest of the way, bouncing 10-20 feet at a time in the steep spots.

[writelots]

As a kid I used to jump off all sorts of stupid things like Matt. Surprisingly I never broke anything, though I did come home bleeding alot.

Yeah, I found jumping off of Matt to be pretty hazardous as well. Thank goodness for growing up!

[JoelHazelton]

Shortly after moving to AZ, I went to Workman Creek to take pics of the waterfall. I was at the top of the falls, straddling the creek for some reason, when I slipped and fell in the creek and started sliding towards the edge! With about 10 ft left till impending freefall, my boots caught into some rock in the narrow watercourse, and thankfully held me there. I'm not sure if you've been to Workman Creek, but the resulting impact from falling over the edge would have been gruesome. Me = splattered on a big boulder.

I was just at Workman Creek last weekend considering taking pictures of the falls. I never ended up shooting there, although I was planning on taking photos from the top of the falls. We stopped on the way out just to check them out, and I walked to the creek above the falls and was like "whoa.... I'm not sure how I woulda pulled this off without sliding over the edge." The creek isn't exactly calm and flat approaching those falls. I'm still going back during fall to give it another go, but hopefully I won't find myself in a similar situation as you.

[Hoffmaster]

As a kid I used to jump off all sorts of stupid things like Matt.

Yeah, I found jumping off of Matt to be pretty hazardous as well. Thank goodness for growing up!

Oh, I get it. (you have to read the first sentence with an emphasis on "like".)

Listen to writelots kids, don't jump off of Matt.

[djui5]

A badly placed slip is what I fear most on the trail.

Me too. Almost fell of the side of a mountain once. Straight down. Scared me to death.

[Dirt4dinner]

I would take snow over any other "landing pad". I used to be big in extreme skiing and spent the better part of my college years dropping 20-40 ft. cliffs with no so much as the wind knocked out of me. I did a face plant off a 60 ft. drop after leaning back and completing 90% of a very slow rotating accidental back flip...that one didn't feel good but I was fine.

I also fell off a ladder from 12 ft. one time and broke 3 ribs and was pissin' blood for a week. It's nothing but roulette falling off something at any height.