Thursday, June 19, 2003 | 11:12 a.m.
Hiking tips The National Park Service, the Clark County Health District and the Centers for'Disease Control and Prevention offer the following tips for those who enjoy hiking in desert heat.
SAFETY TIPS:
WARNING SIGNS:
Heatstroke is a medical emergency. Within minutes the body's core temperatre can reach 105 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Lethargy, disorientation, deliriu and coma follow. Heatstroke is often fatal.
Heat exhaustion causes dizziness, weakness or fatigue after several day of sustained exposure to hot temperatures and results from dehydration o relectrolye imbalance in the blood. Treatment includes replacing fluids and electrolyte such as salt, potassium and magnesium. Hospitalization may be required .
The Clark County Coroner's office today identified one of the men as 53-year-old Ladd Farrell Wilkins of Las Vegas. The other man has been positively identified but his name is being held pending notification of relatives, the coroner's office said this morning.
Autopsies on both bodies were slated for today to determine the official cause of death, but it appeared to have been heatstroke, officials said.
Two other hikers tried to offer one of the men drinking water shortly before he died, but the man refused it -- a likely sign of heat exposure, said Sgt. Clint Bassett, chief of Metro's Search and Rescue team.
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-casino on U.S. 93.
Bassett said that two hikers discovered the body of the first man about 1 p.m.
The two hikers then discovered a second man about 300 feet farther along the trail "screaming and yelling hysterically and refusing water they offered," Bassett said.
As the two hikers approached the second man, he ran.
"They tried to give him water, he was running around in circles, they said, and he ran away," Bassett said.
"That is the classical symptom of heat exposure," Bassett said, adding that the men had stripped their clothes off along the trail.
No water, food or other supplies were found near the men, he said.
Under extreme conditions such as those in the canyon, and without proper hydration, "the sun can kill you in 15 minutes," Bassett said.
Park rangers said the temperature was between 115 and 120 degrees along the trail where the bodies were found, Park Service Supervisor Tom Valenta said.
A thermometer placed in the shade of a mesquite tree near U.S. 93 registered 105 degrees shortly after 3 p.m., he said.
The Gold Strike Canyon trail contains hot springs that stay about 123 degrees Fahrenheit. Various algae color the spring's rocks a vivid green. It's possible the men took a dip in the spring and then tried to hike back, Bassett said.
National Park spokeswoman Roxanne Dey said that the hike down to the springs can be deceivingly difficult.
"It's all downhill on the way to the springs, and then people spend an hour in nature's hot tub, which further raises their body temperature," Dey said. "On the way back up that three or four miles can seem like six or eight."
A total of 20 rescuers, including members of the National Park Service, Lake Mead firefighters and Metro's Search and Rescue team, participated in the recovery of the bodies.
"It's really work to get them out of the canyon," Bassett said.
Tips for preventing heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses are listed in the fact sheet section of the Clark County Health District website at www.cchd.org.
The health district would be the lead agency in responding to a countywide heat emergency, health district spokewoman Jennifer Sizemore said.
"The main thing is to drink lots of water, and if possible limit outdoor activities during the hottest times of the day," Sizemore said.
Although triple-digit summer temperatures are normal in Las Vegas, low humidity and the presence of air-conditioning in most buildings helps to cut down on problems, Sizemore said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta about 381 deaths due to heat were recorded annually from 1979 to 1996 in the United States. Since then the average number of death from heat exposure has been 175.
There were no reported cases of heat-related deaths in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in 2002, but such deaths have occurred in the past, Dey said.
"June, July and August are not the best times to go hiking here, but if you're going to go it's best to go in the early morning," Dey said. "The other important thing to do is to tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back, so if you're overdue we can come looking for you."
Hikers can stop by the Alan Bible Visitors Center to let rangers know where they will be hiking. The visitors center, located at the corner of U.S. 93 and the Lake Shore Drive turnoff between Boulder City and Hoover Dam, has information on trails, and offers ranger-led hikes from October through May, Dey said.
Heatstroke is often fatal because in many cases irreparable nerve damage occurs before medical experts can get the affected person into an ice bath.
The young and the elderly are susceptible to heat exhaustion or heatstroke. Men, more than women, are affected by heat because they sweat more.
Also, drinking alcohol or taking anti-depressants, antihistamines or some over-the-counter sleeping pills can contribute to heat-related deaths, the CDC said.
Sun reporter
Jace Radke contributed to this story.
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