Sedona Fire District crews work the mountain face to reach fallen hiker – photo by SFD Fire Chief Kazian
Sedona AZ (July 15, 2013) – *The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the deceased. It is 65 year-old Douglas Sims of Sedona, Arizona.
Prior information:
Shortly after 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 14, 2013, Sedona Fire District (SFD) crews responded to a reported injured hiker in west Sedona near the area of Thunder Mountain and Chimney Rock Trails.
Once at the Andante Trailhead, Sedona Fire District Captain Ralph Kurtz established cell phone contact with the reporting party and was able to pinpoint the location of the fallen hiker.
SFD crews quickly hiked in and found the body approximately 300 feet from the top of the trail. The hiker had fallen, approximately 60 feet, and was dead at the scene.
Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter assisted SFD crews in removing the hiker. The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office will release the name of the hiker after proper notifications and the incident investigation is complete.
These types of incidents are laborious and, in many cases, involve multiple fire, EMS and law enforcement agencies. Here are a few tips to help you have a safe and fun hiking trip:
- Always wear proper footwear
- Bring food, water, and appropriate clothing for changeable weather
- Carry a fully charged cell phone.
- Let someone know where you are going and the expected time you will return
- Never hike alone.
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Very sad.
Sad indeed.
I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around — nobody big, I mean — except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff — I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.
I worked with Doug. He loved his hikes up Thunder Mt and had done it hundreds of times – over 900 times if I recall correctly. He knew it could be dangerous.
I suspect that given his long experience with the trail that he may have had a sudden medical issue that led to the fall. Be that as it may, I will miss him.
sort of puts everything else on the back burner . . . greed, power, control . . . what do they matter . . . really . . .