Found Deceased AZ - Kathleen Patterson 60, left home 7:30am for hike at Spur Cross Trail, last contact w/fam ph call 10:30am, Cave Creek, 25 Sept 2022

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TravelingBug said:
It was 97 at our house near Spurs Cross.

It's rocky in areas but not all of it. Mostly pretty dry dirt + scrub and cacti.
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It's very beautiful and nice to have a little wilderness so close to home. But that sure doesn't look like a good idea in the hot season.
And logistically it would be difficult. You'd be taking at least 3 liters of water for the time span of 7:30-10:30, and I guess she wasn't ready to come home yet? That's 6 pounds right there. Plus, you'd maybe need a bottle of Gatorade. Most people, I find, wouldn't contemplate taking that amount of liquid in their daypack (unless they use a Camelbak).
That terrain is going to suck you dry, so I may have underestimated the water requirement here.
A sleeveless top is also not a great way to keep cool, IME, and for a Caucasian, it's a nightmare as far as UV effects.

I'm not optimistic for the outcome here. The risk for hyperthermia is super high, and we already know that for a fact from the previous hiking group that had trouble in the same park.
 
WingsOverTX said:
I am surprised air searches & drones have not been successful so far, as I would expect her to be found on/very near a trail.
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Snipped for focus

There are so many low shrubs, I would think you'd need a ground search. And it might be too risky for SAR, given the heat, although we have seen searches (e.g. in Joshua Tree) in very high temperatures.
 
Bumping this morning. There are so many little offshoots to get sorta lost, but not really... I think she must be injured vs. lost if she is out there. There is a SAR team out this morning, they asked hikers to help, hopefully we will have news soon. She seems healthy, maybe we will have a happy ending.
 
AzPistonsGirl said:
Bumping this morning. There are so many little offshoots to get sorta lost, but not really... I think she must be injured vs. lost if she is out there. There is a SAR team out this morning, they asked hikers to help, hopefully we will have news soon. She seems healthy, maybe we will have a happy ending.
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Yeah, not only hikers, but people with drones, on horseback and bike are out at as well.

A local group is quite organized and helping with a search plan, with MCSO's blessing.

Local Cave Creek/Carefree businesses are being supportive and offering resources, etc to the searchers and Kathleen's family.

Neighbors right at the entrance to the Preserve are offering wifi for the searchers and more. It's so neat to see our community come together in this way!

If anyone else is local, they have a lot of water, but are asking for not Gatorade type drinks at the SC Trailhead or AZ Horseback Adventures (right nearby) and snacks are welcome.
 
WingsOverTX said:
Has anyone heard anything about the content or context of her conversation with family at 10:30 Sunday morning? I'm curious if she was in distress then.

It would be helpful to know her usual hiking pattern, as well. It is common for her to go out hiking alone for several hours? How familiar is she with this particular trail system?

Does she have any health conditions?

I am surprised air searches & drones have not been successful so far, as I would expect her to be found on/very near a trail.

Hoping she has not come to harm & is home soon.
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Good questions. I live in the area, and starting at hike at 7:30am is not something I would do, unless I planned to be out for a very short (30 minute) hike. So when she talks to family at 10:30am, was she still on a trail? Because I would be worried if a friend or family member was still on the trail at 10:30am. Because she lived there (and was not a tourist), it is surprising that she would be out there that late in the morning.

And even though we see pictures of shrub and small trees, there is really not any shade on the trails out there.
 
AmandaSkis said:
Good questions. I live in the area, and starting at hike at 7:30am is not something I would do, unless I planned to be out for a very short (30 minute) hike. So when she talks to family at 10:30am, was she still on a trail? Because I would be worried if a friend or family member was still on the trail at 10:30am. Because she lived there (and was not a tourist), it is surprising that she would be out there that late in the morning.

And even though we see pictures of shrub and small trees, there is really not any shade on the trails out there.
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Rereading the MCSO info, I think it reads like she left her house (no specifics on where that is) at 730 to hike there.

Meaning if she's not immediately local, we really don't know what time she reached Spur Cross to actually hike I don't think.

Obviously family/MCSO/searchers know more, but...

I'll be honest I've never been hiking at SC anywhere near as early as 730 am. Heck, only 10ish am once or twice, and there are always at least a few cars out later in the day, though rarely people who are alone.

The search group has mention of her being seen and spoken to while hiking.

That gives me some hope they are able to narrow the direction of the search at least a bit.
 
I hope more people start using this What3Words app - The what3words app | what3words

It helps pinpoint for first responders and searchers and while it needs a way to connect, often it's possible to get enough signal for a text even if you can't call.

www.pe.com

3 words that could save a lost hiker’s life

Southern California public safety agencies are joining the wave by adopting what3words, which provides a cellphone caller’s location almost down to the foot.
www.pe.com www.pe.com
 
From the local search group and a neighbor, there is confirmation she was seen both entering Spurs Cross by a wrangler (I'm assuming by someone with AZ Horseback Adventures since it's right by the SCP parking the lot and they are most frequently the ones out with riders in the area) and by someone that it seems she asked for directions and was directed to continue north (making me wonder if she's not overly familiar with the trails - or at least the one she was on - at Spur Cross).

From one of the searchers posted yesterday:

"I was out this morning searching. I spoke to the sheriff deputies. She was on the Spur Cross Trail (AZ Trail) near the base of Elephant Mountain. That was the last ping from her phone according to MCSO. She was somewhere along that trail between its intersection with Dragonfly/Torguga and where it exits Spur Cross. Basically it's the area where the helicopter has spent most of its time, but it's a big area."

If she was actually doing Elephant Mountain, 3+ hours would make sense. It's a 7 mile loop that's rated "hard" at least on AllTrails.

Spur Cross, Dragonfly, and Tortuga are all ranked moderate - and personally I'd consider them on the much lower end of moderate as far as difficulty. Unless she was doing multiple trails, all of those are much shorter and wouldn't really fit with the timeline unless she had gotten injured.
 
TravelingBug said:
I hope more people start using this What3Words app - The what3words app | what3words

It helps pinpoint for first responders and searchers and while it needs a way to connect, often it's possible to get enough signal for a text even if you can't call.

www.pe.com

3 words that could save a lost hiker’s life

Southern California public safety agencies are joining the wave by adopting what3words, which provides a cellphone caller’s location almost down to the foot.
www.pe.com www.pe.com
Click to expand...
Still not a thing yet, like it is in other countries, but I wish it would hurry up!
 
www.foxnews.com

Arizona woman missing after going on hike, car found near trailhead: deputies

The search continued for Kathleen Patterson, 60, who was last seen at home before going hiking on the Spur Cross Trail in Cave Creek, Arizona, on Sunday, authorities said.
www.foxnews.com www.foxnews.com

*******************

Patterson contacted her family by cell phone around 10:30 a.m. but has not been heard from since, FOX10 Phoenix reported, citing the sheriff’s office.

Patterson’s husband, Steve, told AZ Family that in the text Patterson said she had "gotten off route" but was OK and had enough water.

"My sense is she’s still here but off the trail injured and can’t respond," Steve Patterson said, adding that his wife is an avid hiker but had not hiked the Spur Cross Trailhead.

Patterson drove a gray Infiniti, which was found at the trailhead, the sheriff’s office said.

More than 200 volunteers have been searching for Patterson since she went missing, the outlet reported.

More at link.
 
www.azfamily.com

Community stepping up to find missing hiker last seen near Cave Creek trail

Steve said Kathleen is an avid hiker, but it was her first time at the Spur Cross Trailhead.
www.azfamily.com www.azfamily.com

Video of her husband at link.

CAVE CREEK, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- The search continues for 60-year-old Kathleen Patterson. She went missing Sunday morning while hiking near the Spur Cross Trail in Cave Creek, and now the community is stepping up to help find her. Hundreds of people in the Valley are looking to help, something Kathleen’s family says gives them hope.

Steve Patterson hasn’t heard from his wife of 37 years since Sunday morning. “She sent me at text at 10:02 a.m. that said specifically ‘Hey babe I’ve gotten off route. I’m OK. Plenty of water. All good,’” Patterson said.

He checked in with her about an hour later. Kathleen said she was on her way back to her car, but that’s when something changed. “That was the last conversation we had,” Patterson said. “When I saw her car it was about three in the afternoon and I immediately knew something was wrong.”

The couple moved here four years ago. Steve said Kathleen is an avid hiker, but it was her first time at the Spur Cross Trailhead. “My sense is she’s still here but off the trail injured and can’t respond,” Patterson said.

More at link.
 
The AZ Foothills 911 group that was heading up the search and had AZSARTEC working with them just stated they found Kathleen.

It was not the outcome they had hoped for.

I had heard this a bit ago, but obviously couldn't post until it was posted somewhere.

I'm hoping this is official enough to be able to post since they are the group that was out there heading up all the searches, in all the media about the searches, etc.

They were amazing in their commitment to finding Kathleen and giving her family closure.

And they expressed thanks to all those who came out to search, donated food/resources, supported from afar, MCSO, the media for their coverage and they asked prayer for Kathleen's family.

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heartbreaking. Don't want to imagine what she went through... Can only hope her loved ones are able to get the support and compassion they need right now. And to the searchers... and their families too, it's impossible not to bring this home, we're human. Ugh, just awful... pretty much expected but still so very awful. Glad they found her quickly.
 
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