On May 17th of this year my friend Joe died in Washington County Utah while on a back country trip. He was the husband of my wife’s goddaughter, father of two young girls and one of the nicest, smartest guys you could ever want as a friend, a co-worker or member of your family.

Details as to the circumstances around the tragedy and the actual cause of death are still pending. What I know is that he was with a group of nine others doing a weekend of mountain biking in triple digit temperatures. He became separated from the group and after the group noticed his absence it took them four hours to locate him. At that point he was still alive but all attempts to revive him failed and he died on scene. The death has been ruled accidental.

The reason I bring this to your attention is that this event happened to an experienced biker with 20 years of experience, traveling with a group on a frequently used trail. I have no idea of why he became separated nor does anyone else but that seems to be the key issue.

Some things to ponder and hopefully help us all focus on the small mistakes in planning and execution that can have significant impacts on the outcome of back country excursions:

He and the others had been sure to enable GPS locating on their cell phones, but he had left his phone in his car. Had he thought he was covered by the fact that others took theirs?

He was with a good friend and eight strangers to him. His friend was a front rider; he liked to ride in the back. Did the fact that he was not well known to the others contribute to the time gap between his separation from the group and their realization of that fact?

He came from the east coast where we’ve had a cool and rainy spring to the hot dry Utah mountains. Was there enough of an acclimatization period for him to adjust to the local conditions? He had no known health issues and was in good condition for riding.

He carried water is his pack, but they never found it. Did the heat cause delirium and he took it off for some reason? They found him lying next to some kind of a pool of water, far from his bike. Did he find that too late?

Would a PLB have saved him? Probably, as the rescue helo took less than 30 minutes to reach the group once a 911 call was placed. That’s a subject I wish to God I had brought to his attention.

This is not a case of Darwin striking, so please don’t go down that road. Joe was a professional, held a Master’s in his field and was not a reckless person. But I think he got caught in a maelstrom of bad circumstances and unfortunate decisions. And now a wife and two daughters are without their husband and father. And I’m without another friend. If there’s a lesson here, in my opinion, it’s that you can’t take things for granted anytime, anywhere. Preparation is not only the gathering of stuff but asking all the ‘what if” questions you can and having answers for all of them. Maybe that decreases the fun and spontaneity of doing whatever it is you like to do. But then I’ve never agreed with the concept of “dying doing the thing he loved”. I’d much rather do something I liked and live longer.

As mark of how well respected and loved Joe was his funeral cortege stretched for over a mile.

Thanks,

Andy

"For the want of a nail..."
It's the little things that get you.
I was in a friend's car, parked and talking with a friend about a potential job opportunity. He made a comment about my putting on the shoulder and seat belt. We watched a delivery truck clip another parked car,ejecting the occupant onto the pavement.
Sorry for your loss.

Back in 2001 a friend was out on a hill ride with another and stopped for while to tend some equipment. He was 44 and matched me for height and weight. While he was stopped, he had a heart attack and expired before the other rider noticed his prolonged absence and went back for him. This was about 2 miles from a convenience store where he died. I am now 46 and a little more overweight than he was, and I don't ride alone anymore unless I have to.

First, sorry about your friend.





FWIW, while a prudent step, I wouldn't put much faith in a cell to save you, and even less faith that a "GPS enabled" cell call to 911 is going to work correctly.





Well, while I'm a firm advocate of PLBs, I think people should not assume they press the button and someone is going to show up 30 mins later.

Maybe if he had a GPS enabled PLB they might have showed up in that four hours, maybe not. I think we need to assume when we press the button that help is about a day away.



I think the key element here is that he was exercising in triple digit temperatures. These are dangerous temperatures even without exertion. A very small mistake on his part could put him behind the reaction curve and once you cannot think clearly, you are in real trouble.

As someone who didn't go on this trip, I certainly wouldn't beat myself up. In reality, I think what ultimately contributed to this tragedy is they did not deploy some sort of buddy system.

Again, sorry about your friend.

-john

Sorry to hear about this. My sympathies to his family.

I am sorry for your loss.
I don´t know what caused this accident but doing any sport during extreme heat withoud periodical cooling is not a good idea.

I am sorry to hear this Andy. MY personal opinion was it was just his time. Until there is a COD, I wouldnt wrap my head around it. Obviously, the climate affected him; whether he was having medical issues, caused by the climate, or just simply medical issues that were exacerbated by the climate, we simply dont know. Too many what ifs. Its horrible to lose a friend-my heart goes out to you. I sincerely hope that, in time, your pain eases.

The key statement is -

"Details as to the circumstances around the tragedy and the actual cause of death are still pending."

If an autopsy and investigation is published there is much to learn. Otherwise it may all be lumped into speculation. Location and condition of his pack would be of utmost importance in speculation of cause of death.

Heart attack.
Stroke.
Pulmonary edema.
Electrolyte imbalance.
Heat stroke.
Concussion.
Drugs.
Poison.
Murder.

Please accept my condolences for this tragic loss.Thank you for sharing this painful experience, for the lessons to be gleaned from it.

From the scant information provided, two likely scenarios suggest themselves, purely speculatively. First, death due to exacerbation of a pre-existing or pre-disposed medical condition, such as by a heart attack. Second, insidious hyperthermia and/or dehydration. Each of these can also potentiate the effects of the others.

A bike may make the rider less sensitive to the development and effects of exertion, dehydration and overheating, because of the evaporating, cooling and refreshing effect of passing air. But when you stop, you lose that effect, and your core temperature can spike dangerously. This is seen at triathlons frequently.

Dehydration and hyperthermia can also impair judgment, making self-rescue and remediation difficult. He may have been overcome before he realized he was in real trouble.

Typically, it takes about two weeks to achieve a reasonable degree of acclimation to heat. But acclimation and heat tolerance can be influenced by many intrinsic and extrinsic factors

I think it is far too early to say much about the details of planning, and the actions of his companions, but please do report more of the story as the facts are developed, if you would like to.

My prayers will include those those touched by this sad event.

So sorry for the loss, as I'm sure we all are.



John said it well. I have some friends that are Fighter pilots, and, besides the ridiculous watches, are taught some useful things. One of which is the OODA Loop.

In order to make a decision you have to Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. Its important to Fighter pilots as if you can interrupt or precede the enemy in any part of this loop you have the advantage.

I know from experience, being an East Coast biker and hiker, Utah, and New Mexico, which I know better, gets inside my OODA loop. I can OBSERVE information (it is hot), but I don't ORIENT myself to it well, thus I can't DECIDE or ACT appropriately.

Every time I go into Arid and Hot, I get a local to be my buddy, just as I insist that my NM friends, when they come here, buddy up with an Easterner, they get messed up on hypothermia, gets inside their Loop.

I think this tragedy shows, we all get accustomed to the areas we frequent, and particularly when we think of ourselves as experienced. I feel like I know these Eastern Forests, and am a good outdoors man. I probably should completely loose that attitude in any survival situation. It leads to assumptions, which are basically preconceived notions that aren't linked to reality.

Thanks for sharing this difficult lesson. I'm going to try hard to be more grounded in the actual on my next trips, and not what I expect, or am used to.

best,

T