very sad.

I was a "local" at Joshua Tree for well over a decade. I know it well. But 'nobody' goes there in summer. It is insanely hot. Perhaps the young woman in this tragedy had a head injury - but very likely the severe heat was a contributor. People get delirious when they become dehydrated. The whole thing is just a tragic loss of 2 lives.

We never went to J. Tree in the summer, and never earlier than Sep-Oct. Peak time for users is Nov-April. It is sad that these young people did not have the opportunity of advice from the experienced climbers and hikers.

Practically ... I am not sure why the young man did not climb a rock and fire his gun into the air several times. It might have alerted rangers, and started a rescue. But I don't want to second-guess. Heat-stress injuries are a bad experience ... I have been there.