For thirty-five years, I have led hikes for the Sierra Club. Our mandate is to ensure that every participating hiker is documented and provided adequate water, food, attire, and sunscreen. Hike leaders often bring an extra supply of such items, in case any given hiker runs out. Even before gathering at the trailhead, though, before even packing the car, one must assess: is this a safe day for a hike?
Everyone understands that storms, sleet and fires would naturally preempt any outing. Under the blue skies of our parched corner of Southern California, though, another element poses significant risk: the sun.
Heatstroke is a condition caused by exposure to extreme heat for a protracted period of time. Untreated, it leads to dehydration, causing a life-threatening rise in internal temperature which can result in brain damage, organ failure, and death.
It was on the sweltering day of September 2nd, 2019 that multiple hikers in the Santa Monica Mountains — as part of an eight-mile hike arranged on MeetUp.com — succumbed to the harsh, unimpeded glare of the sun. A rescue operation ensued. Tragically, one man could not be saved.
More than fifty hikers met that morning at the trailhead off Kanan Dume Road, in Malibu. The organizer, a man named Dean, promotes himself on MeetUp.com as a seasoned and popular hike leader, claiming that he helms the second largest hiking group in the world (the first being out of Japan). Comments on MeetUp describe Dean as “wonderful” and “caring” in his outdoor leadership.
The forecast that day was blistering, in the mid-nineties. The hike itself stretched into some of the more remote regions of the mountains, even as these areas had been recently closed by the National Park Service due to damage from the Woolsey Fire a few months prior. Whether Dean was ignorant or dismissive of this information is unknown — although closure signs were on display.
The hikers set out. As they progressed, the weather grew more ominous: midday heat descended on them, and shade proved virtually non-existent. Water consumption accelerated, to the point that, after only a few miles, some participants ran out. It’s unclear, as well, if everyone had at least some water to begin with. There is no indication that, at the outset, any kind of equipment survey was conducted, or warning given.
To compound matters, Dean himself began running out of water, and ceased hiking. Other hikers, all of varying experience, continued on. Some lost contact with one another. Some became lost, confused.
One man, sixty-four, began weakening considerably. He had no water, and no one around him had the authority or know-how to diagnose and treat heatstroke. One person called 911, and was connected with Malibu police. Another had an umbrella, which they held over the man who by now was lying on the ground in terrible distress.
A helicopter was dispatched, but it was too late. Despite efforts to revive the man, he perished at the scene. Also in serious condition was a female hiker who was given immediate medical attention and, along with several others unable to walk back, airlifted to safety.
When we lead hikes for the Sierra Club, all participants sign in. There is a leader and a trail-sweep, so that no one strays from the group without signing off. Safety is the prime consideration. If Dean’s hike had been part of the Sierra Club, or at least employed the same level of awareness and preparedness, this man’s needless death might easily have been prevented. He would have been sufficiently hydrated, and treated by other hikers before the helicopter arrived.
On his web page, Dean states that he is absolved of all responsibility for the safety of the hikes he leads. Participants are supposed to sign a waiver, in case of injury or fatality. Yet it seems clear to me that several degrees of irresponsibility and outright negligence contributed directly to this man’s death.
Was it an accident? Involuntary manslaughter? Something more egregious?
Dean continues leading hikes. One can find on his website a catalog of excursions he took in 2019. Curiously, though, and conspicuously, there is no mention of one that took place on September 2nd.
