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

[AzPistonsGirl]

she got off track and texted that to her husband, as reported. But said she was ok and had enough water. Needless to say, she didn't. This time of year, we need so much water out here. She was carrying bottles, not a camelpak... and that trail has many offshoots and is easy to get off track IMO. We once missed a cairn and had to backtrack out there. Yes, there was a picture posted upthread of a pond, but really, the area is very exposed and there just aren't places to hide. And sundown is not until well after 7pm... ugh... just so sad...

 

[RickshawFan]

@TravelingBug Thanks for your contributions here. Are they saying incapacitated by heat? She was off trail seeking shade? Any other scenario to go with the find? How far away from the last known contact with her? Quite near, correct?

 

[RickshawFan]

she got off track and texted that to her husband, as reported. But said she was ok and had enough water. Needless to say, she didn't. This time of year, we need so much water out here. She was carrying bottles, not a camelpak... and that trail has many offshoots and is easy to get off track IMO. We once missed a cairn and had to backtrack out there. Yes, there was a picture posted upthread of a pond, but really, the area is very exposed and there just aren't places to hide. And sundown is not until well after 7pm... ugh... just so sad...

It seems her outfit was going to make her very sun-exposed, too, which would have exacerbated the situation. It seems, to keep the sun off, you gotta wear more clothes than you really want: this is hard to weigh in your decision making in hot weather.

 

[RickshawFan]

She was carrying bottles, not a camelpak..

Snipped for focus....

I'm wanting to highlight your hint that you drink more/carry more if you're using a bladder (e.g. camelbak), versus bottles..But that's maybe not what you mean?

 

[RickshawFan]

she got off track and texted that to her husband, as reported. But said she was ok and had enough water. Needless to say, she didn't. This time of year, we need so much water out here. She was carrying bottles, not a camelpak... and that trail has many offshoots and is easy to get off track IMO. We once missed a cairn and had to backtrack out there. Yes, there was a picture posted upthread of a pond, but really, the area is very exposed and there just aren't places to hide. And sundown is not until well after 7pm... ugh... just so sad...

How much water would you be taking if you were hiking up in that area right about now? I'm not from there, and have a hard time figuring out what a strong hiker would take.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

I think the body can absorb about 1 liter per hour, but I drink about 1.5 liters/hour on a summer hike and the recommendation is to carry twice that. Yes, a pak can carry more water than bottles is what I meant.

Here's a nice visual: H20-101: How Much Water to Bring on a Hike

ETA: I'm an avid, healthy hiker and can cover a lot of ground on a hike, and have familiarity with this area but all IMO, of course. This could have been any of us out there, getting off track, maybe injured or overheated, and just running out of water no matter how much we carry.

 

[RickshawFan]

I think the body can absorb about 1 liter per hour, but I drink about 1.5 liters/hour on a summer hike and the recommendation is to carry twice that. Yes, a pak can carry more water than bottles is what I meant.

Here's a nice visual: H20-101: How Much Water to Bring on a Hike

ETA: I'm an avid, healthy hiker and can cover a lot of ground on a hike, and have familiarity with this area but all IMO, of course. This could have been any of us out there, getting off track, maybe injured or overheated, and just running out of water no matter how much we carry.

Are they saying she ran out of water? I can see where you'd get overheated and it would make you confused. It just seems so odd that she was almost back to the car.

My water usage is about like yours during a hike. I don't hike in conditions like summer Arizona: I'd be hyperthermic in about 1/4 mile.

 

[TravelingBug]

Are they saying she ran out of water? I can see where you'd get overheated and it would make you confused. It just seems so odd that she was almost back to the car.

My water usage is about like yours during a hike. I don't hike in conditions like summer Arizona: I'd be hyperthermic in about 1/4 mile.

I've not read anything conclusive about that, but she was found relatively near the parking lot in a chained off area from what has been said on the site that coordinated the search for her.

Reading that and knowing the area, it seems like she got disoriented (heat/exhaustion related? maybe she was out of water at some point? I'm assuming family/searchers who found her know for sure since they'd have seen her water bottles) probably after using the restroom/porta potty things and stumbled into a closed off area and was found 600 or so feet beyond it.

They said it appeared she tripped, fell and hit her head and never got up.

The assumption posted is that she was disoriented and mistakingly went the wrong way in her attempt to get to the parking lot.

 

[RickshawFan]

I've not read anything conclusive about that, but she was found relatively near the parking lot in a chained off area from what has been said on the site that coordinated the search for her.

Reading that and knowing the area, it seems like she got disoriented (heat/exhaustion related? maybe she was out of water at some point? I'm assuming family/searchers who found her know for sure since they'd have seen her water bottles) probably after using the restroom/porta potty things and stumbled into a closed off area and was found 600 or so feet beyond it.

They said it appeared she tripped, fell and hit her head and never got up.

The assumption posted is that she was disoriented and mistakingly went the wrong way in her attempt to get to the parking lot.

She tripped....wow. You don't hear that very often in a case where the obvious possibility was heat/dehydration.

 

[AmandaSkis]

I do hope that we learn the official COD. Was it some sort of trauma to the head from falling or was it heat/dehydration? I have hiked out there many times. Cell reception is very hit or miss.

I once ran from Cave Creek Regional Park to Spur Cross. My intent was to get water at Spur Cross and then run back to my car at Cave Creek. When I got to Spur Cross, the gate attendant told me that there is no (potable) water at Spur Cross, but that I could buy some. I do not run with money so I could not buy water.

I had to decide if I wanted to run back to Cave Creek with no water - or- call someone to drive out to Spur Cross and drive me to my car at Cave Creek. I made the decision to call someone. I knew it would be too risky to head out for many miles with no water.

 

[WingsOverTX]

I do hope that we learn the official COD. Was it some sort of trauma to the head from falling or was it heat/dehydration? I have hiked out there many times. Cell reception is very hit or miss.

I once ran from Cave Creek Regional Park to Spur Cross. My intent was to get water at Spur Cross and then run back to my car at Cave Creek. When I got to Spur Cross, the gate attendant told me that there is no (potable) water at Spur Cross, but that I could buy some. I do not run with money so I could not buy water.

I had to decide if I wanted to run back to Cave Creek with no water - or- call someone to drive out to Spur Cross and drive me to my car at Cave Creek. I made the decision to call someone. I knew it would be too risky to head out for many miles with no water.

That's crazy. Spur Creek needs a potable water station! Every park in hot areas needs an alternative to paying for water. It could save lives!

Thanks for raising awareness to verify water availability when recreating outdoors. An open space without a basic resource but a manned station really needs to rethink desert safety! Geeez
JMO

 

[TravelingBug]

That's crazy. Spur Creek needs a potable water station! Every park in hot areas needs an alternative to paying for water. It could save lives!

Thanks for raising awareness to verify water availability when recreating outdoors. An open space without a basic resource but a manned station really needs to rethink desert safety! Geeez
JMO

The good thing coming out of this is that there has been a lot of discussion about changes that would help with safety at Spur Cross.

The AZ Foothills 911 group (if you're local, it's definitely worth being part of) that headed up the search for Kathleen has gotten donations for things that will be used for future rescues and also has things in the works working with the ranger at Spur Cross - all of which will be done in Kathleen's name/memory.

 

[TravelingBug]

The whole article is a worthwhile read (IMO) for those who followed Kathleen's story.

Here are a few snippets:

“Without going into all the details, she got off course, and walked a lot further she had thought and died really close to here,” Patterson told ABC15, standing in the parking lot of the trailhead.

Steve, their family, friends and community members went to the trail Sunday morning to finish the hike Kathleen wanted to do.

“Everything about nature, hiking was her, hiking was her thing. We’re kind of honoring it, honoring her by doing something that she loved,” Patterson said.

While hiking the trail, Steve said he got some much-needed clarity. He was confused as to why Kathleen would go off another direction, but when he walked by where she did, he said it made sense.

“I saw the mile she walked and knew exactly why she made one turn versus another or how she could’ve made that mistake. For me, that was really comforting, because it just kind of cleared, like, the only remaining question mark in my head,” he said.

‘We feel like she’s here’: Family, friends finish hike in remembrance of avid hiker Kathleen Patterson

Family and friends of Kathleen Patterson received a little bit of closure Sunday morning as they finished a hike she intended to do just a week prior.

www.abc15.com

 

[WingsOverTX]

The whole article is a worthwhile read (IMO) for those who followed Kathleen's story.

Here are a few snippets:“Without going into all the details, she got off course, and walked a lot further she had thought and died really close to here,” Patterson told ABC15, standing in the parking lot of the trailhead.

‘We feel like she’s here’: Family, friends finish hike in remembrance of avid hiker Kathleen Patterson

Family and friends of Kathleen Patterson received a little bit of closure Sunday morning as they finished a hike she intended to do just a week prior.

www.abc15.com

What a great tribute to avid hiker Kathleen!
Her husband Steve said:
With each step they took Sunday, he felt as if she was there. They remembered and reminisced her love for her family, friends and nature.

“There were a couple of times when you could just feel something. Cardinals are kind of a sign and a big red male came by... it was chirping with us along the way, and I don’t know it’s kind of -- whether it’s real or not, it felt real,” he said.

 

[Tower]

She tripped....wow. You don't hear that very often in a case where the obvious possibility was heat/dehydration.

Hi Rickshaw! Wouldn’t you guess it was heat/dehydration leading to the trip and fall? Maybe I’m misreading your post, but I wouldn’t categorize her problem as one or the other. My guess would be she would not have tripped at that spot if she were not already suffering from heat effects and possibly cutting through off-trail to rush to her car? Of course, moo. We may never know the COD.

 

[WingsOverTX]

"For a self-described introvert, Kathleen sure loved a party! Often saying, "we're not staying long", Kathleen was usually the last to leave. She and Steve loved throwing themed parties like Mad Men, the Rat Pack and an annual Lunar New Year gathering where they often decorated the house and dressed in character. Kathleen and Steve shared a passion for craft cocktails, (she loved a French 75) and enjoyed the search for elusive bottles of great tasting, low priced champagne.

Kathleen was an avid hiker and so loved the desert. She always said the little lizards that darted in front of her were omens of good luck, and she assigned Arizona's saguaros personality traits based on the shape of their arms. She dearly loved spring when families of tiny baby quail would parade outside her office window.

She and Steve loved space and astronomy and would take great satisfaction in knowing that in the end she would once again become stardust."

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/kathleen-patterson-obituary?id=36747839

 

[Puzzleworth]

What a beautifully written obituary. She sounds like she was a great person and I hope her loved ones cherish those memories. Rest easy, Ms Patterson.

 

[acutename]

I think the body can absorb about 1 liter per hour, but I drink about 1.5 liters/hour on a summer hike and the recommendation is to carry twice that. Yes, a pak can carry more water than bottles is what I meant.

Here's a nice visual: H20-101: How Much Water to Bring on a Hike

ETA: I'm an avid, healthy hiker and can cover a lot of ground on a hike, and have familiarity with this area but all IMO, of course. This could have been any of us out there, getting off track, maybe injured or overheated, and just running out of water no matter how much we carry.

you always need more water... of course there is the payload problem that water is heavy so carrying more makes you sweat more and if you are unlucky you could drop a bottle and lose some, especially if you are getting over heated and clumsy