Friday, June 20, 2003 | 9:23 a.m.
The family of Ladd and Larry Wilkins, the two men who perished from heat exhaustion in Gold Strike Canyon on Wednesday, said they are devastated at the loss.
Ladd Farrell Wilkins, 53, and Larry Wilkins were both Las Vegas residents. Larry took Ladd's last name, the family said.
"First, I would like to thank the hikers who offered their assistance in this awful ordeal," Robyn Wilkins, a cousin of Larry, said in an e-mail Thursday night. "If you knew these two wonderful men, you would be so glad you were there to at least try to help."
The Clark County coroner's office had not released Larry Wilkins' name this morning, pending the notification of his family. The family also thanked the 20 members of the rescue team that hiked into the canyon at temperatures of about 115 degrees to reach the two men.
"Those of us, their family here in California, are also very devastated at their loss, along with the family in Utah," Robyn Wilkins wrote from Porterville, Calif. Other family members live in Idaho, she said.
"This has left a huge hole in our lives," Robyn Wilkins said in a telephone interview.
Funeral services for the men have been scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday in Roosevelt, Utah.
Ladd Wilkins spent his life as a pianist, a ballroom dancer and a florist. He has three brothers, a sister, five children and a grandchild.
Larry Wilkins was a casino dealer.
"They loved to do things together," Robyn Wilkins said. "They loved to hike in the mountains in Nevada and Utah."
Autopsies on both bodies were slated for Thursday to determine the official cause of death, but it appeared to have been heatstroke, officials said. Autopsy results were not available this morning, pending toxicology results.
The area in which the men died is about a mile from the start of the Gold Strike Trail, which is near the Hacienda hotel on U.S. 93 between Hoover Dam and Boulder City.
Hikers discovered the body of one of the men and moments later found the other man parched, but alive, said Sgt. Clint Bassett, chief of Metro Police's Search and Rescue Team.
National Park Service rangers said temperatures in the canyon of volcanic rock ranged between 115 and 120 degrees along the trail on Wednesday afternoon.
The Park Service and the Clark County Health District advise hikers to hit the trail early in the morning and carry plenty of water.
Summer months of June, July and August are not the best times to hike in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Park Service spokeswoman Roxanne Dey said.
She said hikers need to carry plenty of water, wear a hat, protective clothing and sunscreen.
Most important, Dey said, tell someone where you plan to hike.
Hikers can stop at the Alan Bible Visitors Center to let rangers know which trails they plan to hike. The visitors center is located at the intersection of U.S. 93 and the Lake Shore Drive turnoff between Boulder City and Hoover Dam. It has information on trails, and offers ranger-led hikes from October through May, Dey said.
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