With more and more
young people becoming active, hiking has become a common hobby among them, but
with most of those people exploring the mountains, safety tips for hiking in
the desert are underestimated.
Christin Dalke was
uneducated while hiking in Palo Duro Canyon outside Canyon, Texas in July of
2011. Towards the end of the hike she became separated from her group and was
found three hours later a quarter mile off the trail diseased from heat
exhaustion. The canyon was recorded at 120 degrees when she disappeared.
“My brother and I
hike all the time during the summer, but Texas is hot and not everyone is
prepared for that,” Christin’s close friend Claudia Mayfield said. Christin was
very fit, she probably just wasn’t educated on the right safety.
To make sure other
locals and visitors were more prepared for the summer heat while hiking,
Claudia and her brother Rollins Mayfield started classes at First Baptist
Church in Canyon.
“There are plenty
of easy things people can do,” Mayfield said. “Don’t go to the canyon in the
middle of the day, go in the morning when it’s cooler.”
The canyon opens
at 8 am for morning hikers. The temperature usually stays around 95 degrees
until about 1 pm.
“Make sure you
have plenty of water,” Rollins Mayfield, a local Boy Scout said. “Don’t be
afraid to ask for some either. If you feel sick don’t hesitate to ask other
people if they have any water or Gatorade or anything.”
The classes ran
once a week for two months. The explained times to hike, what to bring, and how
to handle certain situations.
“Another good
thing to do is to stay on your trail,” Mayfield said. “If you don’t know the
canyon like the back of your hand don’t venture off.”
Her brother
Rollins is planning on having classes for summer 2012.
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