French couple die hiking in New Mexico desert

[Sdiver]

Something seems fishy here ...

French couple who died hiking in New Mexico desert likely saved son by giving him their water

David Steiner, 42, and his wife, Ornella Steiner, 51 died during an afternoon hike across the searing New Mexico desert
Sheriff Benny House said they likely saved their 9-year-old son by giving him two sips of water for each one they took before the supply ran out
The boy was dehydrated but in remarkably good shape when he was found alongside his dead father on a trail in the White Sands National Monument
The father and son were found Tuesday about an hour after park rangers found the mother dead

A French couple who died during an afternoon hike across the searing New Mexico desert likely saved their 9-year-old son by giving him two sips of water for each one they took before the supply ran out, a sheriff said Friday.

The boy was dehydrated but in remarkably good shape when he was found alongside his dead father on a trail in the White Sands National Monument, Otero County Sheriff Benny House said.

The father and son were found Tuesday about an hour after park rangers found the mother dead.

'That may be why he fared so well, is he was a lot smaller and probably had twice as much water,' House said. 'He was well hydrated, compared to the other two.'

House identified the couple as David Steiner, 42, and his wife, Ornella Steiner, 51. The boy's name wasn't released. They were tourists from the small town of Bourgogne, near the city of Reims, France.

The couple appears to have died of heat-related causes, House said. An autopsy to determine the official cause of death was pending, according to the state medical investigator's office.

The family had two 20-ounce water bottles when they set out on the hike along the national monument's Alkali Flat trail at about 1 p.m., House said. The trail is known for crystalline-white sand dunes and ends at the edge of the Alkali Flat, an ancient dry lake bed.

There is no vegetation or shade, and the National Park Service warns summertime visitors to hike only in the cool hours and carry at least a gallon of water per person.

The high temperature at the monument Tuesday was 101, according to the National Weather Service.

House said warning signs were posted in several languages, including French, at the trailhead.

The boy told deputies that his mother began feeling ill and complained of an injured knee about a mile and a half into the hike.

'So she made the decision that you guys go ahead and go on, I'm going to go back to the vehicle,' House said. 'She made it about a hundred yards before she went down.'

He said the father and son were unaware that she was in trouble and continued on the trail, making it about 2,000 feet before the father collapsed.

Park rangers on a routine patrol found the family.

The sheriff's office contacted the French consulate in Los Angeles and officials there notified the family's relatives.

The boy's grandmother flew to Albuquerque and was reunited with him Thursday.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...saved-son.html

[mark46th]

Sorry to hear this. 101 degrees? Is there anymore info? It seems strange that they would both die within an hour or two of their start.

[twistedsquid]

Stoopid French tourists. Gallons of H2O on a hike in the West! WTF?

[Sdiver]

Originally Posted by mark46th

Sorry to hear this. 101 degrees? Is there anymore info? It seems strange that they would both die within an hour or two of their start.

Nothing as of yet, only what is in this initial story.

They must have been severely dehydrated to begin with. I wonder what they were doing, or where they were before this happened.

Although, like I said above, something seems fishy about this ...

[JJ_BPK]

Originally Posted by Sdiver

Nothing as of yet, only what is in this initial story.

They must have been severely dehydrated to begin with. I wonder what they were doing, or where they were before this happened.

Although, like I said above, something seems fishy about this ...

Concur, Anyone starting out after breakfast & lunch should be good for a couple hours??

[Bleed Green]

There has been nothing really fishy about it here. We had to life flight several agents and the criminal they were chasing a few weeks ago when temps were slightly lower. That kind of stressed to them in hindsight how important being hydrated to start with is in the first place. If you are not acclimated to that type of heat combined with hiking that trail with the dunes would tend to suck the life out of you in a hurry. No mention was ever made about their physical condition to start with which may have played an important role in their deaths as well. I will keep my eyes and ears open and should I get any more info I will shoot it your way Sdiver.

[GratefulCitizen]

101 degrees in the shade, in a low altitude area with plants on the ground is not the same thing as 101 degrees in the sun, in a high altitude desert.
Add to that the peculiar properties of the sand at that location (high reflectivity) and you have a recipe for problems.

You'll feel fine at first, but can get behind the power curve very quickly.
Not unusual to see tourists get seriously ill or die from exposure on day hikes in the area around where I live (also a high altitude desert).
Situational awareness matters.

[Bleed Green]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/08/us/new...ths/index.html

That link had a picture that is a pretty good representation of that hike and the description does not do it justice. Humping those dunes wears you out pretty quick this time of year and there are loads of people that get lost due to losing their bearings every year. Once you are off and away from a road all the dunes looks the same so it is pretty easy to do if you are unfamiliar with the area.

[JJ_BPK]

These people are Darwin Wieners...

The mother fell at 1.5 miles then attempted to return by herself??

The father continued for another 2,000 ft??

My sincere sympathies to the child...

[miclo18d]

Originally Posted by JJ_BPK

These people are Darwin Wieners...

The mother fell at 1.5 miles then attempted to return by herself??

The father continued for another 2,000 ft??

My sincere sympathies to the child...

My exact same questions! 2 miles into the desert? I have run 10 milers hung over and dehydrated. Humped 12 milers with 60lb ruck without being hydrated. Survived in A-Stan in the summer at 120 deg in the shade (Suunto watch measured off my arm) with full kit during firefights with a few water bottles in my cargo pockets.

They should have made it back to the car easily. Something is hinky, weak genetics, or they surrendered like the French are apt to do.

[mojaveman]

I grew up here in southern California where it is very hot every summer. Something I learned a long time ago is that people from the northern latitudes can not take the extreme high temperatures.

A couple of years ago there was a wealthy couple visiting Socal from the Netherlands. It was in July and they were driving a rented Dodge Charger through Joshua Tree National Park. For some unknown reason they drove from the asphalt road onto a packed sand road and then into the desert. After a couple of miles they got stuck and decided to walk back out. It was in the early afternoon and the temperature was about 105 degrees. Neither one made it back to the asphalt road and they both died from hyperthermia. After the investigation was completed it was determined that they only had four liters of water with them. Any person from this climate would have known to take much more water. Again, people from the cooler climates are not used to nor are they usually prepared for the extreme temperatures here in the Southwest.

[Gold Eagle]

The French not use to this kind of heat. But should've lasted longer than this. No common sense?

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by Gold Eagle

No common sense?

Common Sense is now so rare that it's now a Super Power......

Idiots die in downtown Phoenix every year for the same reasons, hell the Grand Canyon kills a few folks every year.

There are some places where you don't get a chance to make a mistake.

[Bleed Green]

I spoke with a buddy that works over there and he basically affirmed the news accounts. The one thing he added was the father started the bad decision process by letting his wife try and walk back and even though it said he was only 2000 feet from where he left her, he and the son left the trail and walked a lot further than 2000 feet away where they were found. Usually there is one death there every other year lately, from people not acclimated to the heat, getting off a trail and getting lost and not carrying enough water.

[SF0]

Indeed, this state is the closest thing to a Mad Max wasteland I've ever seen in the US.