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On the heels of the previous weekend's massive rescue in Tanque Verde and Sabino Canyons, "hikers" once again ignore a Flash Flood Warning yesterday and have to be air lifted out in the dark:

http://www.kgun9.com/n...

I'm told that the parking lot to Sabino Canyon was closed off this morning.

I was up at Marshall Gulch yesterday afternoon, where the road to the trailhead parallels Sabino Canyon near its headwaters. Up at 7,500 feet Sabino Canyon was already high, fast, and dangerous to cross. All I could think about was 1) how must it look 4,000 feet below after countless tributaries dump exponentially more water and silt; and 2) hopefully nobody is down there trying to swim.

SkyIslandHiker wrote:On the heels of the previous weekend's massive rescue in Tanque Verde and Sabino Canyons, "hikers" once again ignore a Flash Flood Warning yesterday and have to be air lifted out in the dark:

http://www.kgun9.com/n...

I'm told that the parking lot to Sabino Canyon was closed off this morning.

What's the difference between a hiker and a "hiker" ?

The Flash Flood Warning was issued at 3:08pm. I think you might want to consider the possibility that perfectly responsible and experienced outdoor recreation enthusiasts--probably not unlike yourself--may have been enjoying a nice hike along developed trails in a federal Recreation Area on a pleasant rain-free day with no watches or warnings having been issued until hours after they were out on the trails. Unless you read a different news story than the one linked above, there is no indication that anybody ignored any flood warnings.

It looks to me like the people who found themselves on the wrong side of a rain-swollen river made a wise decision and waited for authorities to provide safe passage rather than risk their lives or put others in danger.

SkyIslandHiker wrote:On the heels of the previous weekend's massive rescue in Tanque Verde and Sabino Canyons, "hikers" once again ignore a Flash Flood Warning yesterday and have to be air lifted out in the dark:

http://www.kgun9.com/n...

I'm told that the parking lot to Sabino Canyon was closed off this morning.

I saw the forecast for thunderstorms down there, and I put the over/under at the number of people rescued this weekend at 40. Close, but not close enough.

(This is why I don't gamble)

chumley wrote:What's the difference between a hiker and a "hiker" ?

Many Sabino Canyon recreationists are simply road-walking swimmers that get labeled as hikers by the media. I'm sure there were some real hikers out there that got caught o⃥f⃥f⃥ ⃥g⃥u⃥a⃥r⃥d⃥ up in the flash flood but...

The local media was full of warnings all weekend, well before Sunday, about the dangers of venturing out into Sabino and Tanque Verde Canyons. In fact, the Pima County Sherriff's Department issued an advisory mid-day on Saturday for Sabino and Tanque Verde Canyons in particular:

http://www.kgun9.com/n...

Saturday and Sunday's weather forecasts were virtually identical. I think any responsible person would have avoided those two areas entirely this weekend. With over 90 rescues the past two weekends we're darn lucky that there have been no serious injuries or fatalities, not just among the hikers and "hikers" but also among SARA personnel who put their lives at risk!

SkyIslandHiker wrote:Many Sabino Canyon recreationists are simply road-walking swimmers that get labeled as hikers by the media. I'm sure there were some real hikers out there

I fail to see why somebody who walks on a paved road that gets blocked by flood waters is different from somebody who walks on a dirt trail. Is one less worthy of safe passage than the other?

Honestly, some HAZzers are making it sound like all of Arizona is flooding and burning at the same time. This state is nuts!

@Tough_Boots

is #thanksobama still a thing?

Helicopter rides are so much more fun than building a simple foot bridge over this sometimes swollen Arizona river.

chumley wrote: I fail to see why somebody who walks on a paved road that gets blocked by flood waters is different from somebody who walks on a dirt trail. Is one less worthy of safe passage than the other?

I don't think I said that. My point was that way too many hikers/"hikers" are putting themselves in a position of needing a rescue.

P.S. Now that I reread my post I can see where you might conclude that from my "off guard" wording. I should have said "I'm sure there were some real hikers out there that got caught up in the flash flood but..."

Tough_Boots wrote:Honestly, some HAZzers are making it sound like all of Arizona is flooding and burning at the same time.

If you lived in southern Arizona this summer you might believe that. This has been a summer of extremes down here.

SkyIslandHiker wrote:This has been a summer of extremes down here.

Must be if you even have to split glorified walkers into two categories-- hikers and "hikers."

flagscott wrote:I saw the forecast for thunderstorms down there, and I put the over/under at the number of people rescued this weekend at 40.

@flagscott. Turns out you hit the nail on the head. KVOA now reports that 42 hikers were rescued at Sabino Canyon yesterday:

http://www.kvoa.com/st...

The article states that a majority of the people rescued were between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five. Some will accuse me of stereotyping but I'll bet that most of them were "hikers".

SkyIslandHiker wrote:The article states that a majority of the people rescued were between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five. Some will accuse me of stereotyping but I'll bet that most of them were "hikers".

What does age have to do with hiking?

@chumley

Maybe age has more to do with "hiking"? It definitely seems to have something to do with "condescending".

Wow tough group. Maybe having spent time with the touristas at Old Faithful was too much for some. Or am I sensing snarkasm?

When I saw the headlines of the recent Tanque Verde Falls incident I thought it was a odd to describe the 17 rescued as "hikers" because they just parked a car and scrambled down to go swimming.
I bet if you asked half the people going to bear canyon if they are "hiking" they would deny it and thankfully there was a law enforcement vehicle on the west side of the bear bridge to prevent any attempts to cross the other day.
SARA has been to bear canyon on so many rescues it should just be renamed after them.

air wrote:When I saw the headlines of the recent Tanque Verde Falls incident I thought it was a odd to describe the 17 rescued as "hikers" because they just parked a car and scrambled down to go swimming.

Wait... Did the headline refer to them as hikers or as "hikers"? I think it's established that "hikers" is defined as those who walk a short distance to swim, so in that case the headline would be accurate.

I can only imagine the hysteria the media would produce if they dropped hikers and used strollers. The public would see Seventeen Strollers Airlifted From Swollen River. Baby carriage carnage at it's worst.

I believe some here would prefer the media just referred to them as "idiots". After all, it's people who go outside when it might rain that give us smart hikers a bad name.