HikeArizona.COM

If HAZ members in general are like a lot of our friends, we suspect there's quite a few who don't read the daily newspaper(s). If so, then this topic is for you. Check out the Saturday, April 6, 2002 'Arizona Republic' front page. There's a story there 'above the fold' entitled '1 misstep is all it takes.'

(Note: Professional journalists consider any story placed 'above the fold' on the front page as having considerable significance and potenial reader interest. Activist editors sometimes use 'above the fold' placement to attempt to influence public opinion and/or behavior. In other words, stories that make it to this coveted location are a 'big deal.')

Well, anyway, this particular story details both a specific hiker rescue and also summarizes recent rescue statistics. Since few rescues make the evening TV news (usually only the ones where they dangle somebody from a helicopter) this is a most interesting glimpse into the current state of hiker rescues within the metroplex.

There's a great graphic on the 'jump' page--A20--that shows rescues by hiking area from January 1, 1997 to April 5, 2002. That little graphics is what we call a 'clipper--saver.' We would have thought Squaw Peak would have dominated in the rescue category over that time period but, nope, it's Camelback. (It figures out to almost one every two weeks over a five year period at Camelback!)

Anyway, if you read the daily paper, you've already seen this article. If you don't, it's worth getting your hands on a copy so you can check it out.

J&S in RR

The big topic among the crowds is always...
Which is tougher Camelback or Squaw.

If you plot it out Camelback barely takes the award with an added 0.05 mile and a hundred feet or so in gain. But if you think about it step wise. All those mini boulders on Camelback are just waiting to twist your ankle.

I wonder what the severity between the two is cause in my mind...
Camelback has lots of ON trail falls & unprepared climber accidents.
Squaw doesn't have climbers. But the hiker falls on Squaw seem to be worse as they usually fall OFF the trail and down the slope.

The ones that seem to make the news aren't the locals or ankle twisters. It's the unprepared slope diving tourist.

For me, I think Squaw is the most dangerous; fall on those jagged rocks that make up so much of the trail and you're gonna be pretty well busted up.
Squaw is easier for me coming down 'cause it's not as hard on my knees as Camelback, but going up Camelback is easier for me.
Haven't read the article yet; been busy this a.m. with a much nastier sport.....golf!

[quote='evenstarx3']I think Squaw is the most dangerous; fall on those jagged rocks that make up so much of the trail and you're gonna be pretty well busted up.
Squaw is easier for me coming down 'cause it's not as hard on my knees as Camelback, but going up Camelback is easier for me.
[/quote]

Very true Trihairopelli! :P

Trihairopelli < Funny!

Read the article and I'm surprised there aren't more rescues. I've only hiked Squaw Summit and Echoe Canyon twice each, and each time I've seen some real crazies...no water...out of shape...really inappropriate footware....Tevas :twisted:....you name it! I guess one of the realizations that comes with age is, I'm mortal, have a good number of years left, and I don't want to self destruct by doing stupid stuff that I ain't prepared to do.

And Joe, I'm considering adding ALL my HAZ handles to my signature. Just how much bandwidth do you have on this new server???

Let's see... there's Hooli, evenstarx3, Haz Bad Fart Boy.....Three Haired Running Kokopelli.....shall I go on?

I don't know about the paper edition, but the online edition of the article focuses on Fire Dept. Rescues...which means that rescues carried out by the Central Arizona Mountain Rescue Association were not counted. CAMRA is part of the national MRA and is formed as a 'posse' with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Dept.

I've attended their last two recruiting meetings, and I'd say they are the ones called in when a rescue is too 'hairy' for the FDPX. Some of the photos these guys show are shocking...one guy who took a header off Flatiron and landed face first...

I don't think they perform more rescues than the fire department, as they generally are not called in on the rescues at Squaw and Camelback...

On a related note...I have a hard time with most of the Squaw/Camelback hikers, as I think the majority of them are not out for a hike but rather for a workout...I do Windcave once a week, and it's more for the cardio than for the hike...so I guess I'm just as bad, but on the 3 dozen or so trips up and down Squaw/Camelback over the past few years, I've seen alot of musclemen, triathlete/enduro, sportsbra clad hardbodies, tourists in white shoes, jeans, a visor and a 12oz bottle of water...but not a lot of the kind of hikers I see outside the city proper...

just a thought

Now that Im heading into my 3rd summer, I guess Im NOT a tourist anymore. My first trip up squaw was like CK1 mentioned... Jeans, Clean new sneakers and a small bottle of water. I must have been quite a sight.

Ive seen them carry a whole gallon of arrowhead water fresh from the circle-k, and Ive seen them carry nothing but a fanny pack full of everything BUT water.

Im surprised there aren't more rescues due to dehydration and exposure. But people on the mountians really tend to look out for each other. I noticed that right away.. ' Are you ok, do you have enough water ' you hear that all the time ( mostly on camerback ). I think thats cool.

I don't have any problems with people using the mountain parks as 'gyms' for some cardio workout (isn't that a major reason most of us engage in hiking anyways...the health aspects?). Squaw and Camelback especially are convinient (central location) and short enough for a quick afterwok hike. No, my beef is the people that think there's a major cardio benefit in trying to run down the mountain.

In my opinion, a lot of needless injuries are caused by running down (not up). Gravity, inertia, and traction are three things you can't control when bounding down the mountain. I don't think anyone would disagree that the true cardio workout is how fast you can go uphill...not how fast gravity can pull you downhill.

Report on TV news this evening; 6 year old girl cut her head on, I think, Echo Canyon trail...not serious.

50 year old woman dies on North Mountain trail; cause unknown.

Tempe8 hit the true point of my missive...using the outdoors as a gym is not a problem at all, but thoses same 'non hikers' are the ones bounding down the trail, failing to head one key rule of hiking, UP has the right of way.