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Sometimes the Calvary Is Not Coming

July 10, 2024 - DEATH VALLEY, Calif. – A motorcyclist died on Saturday after riding through Death Valley National Park when the high was 128 degrees.

A group of motorcyclists riding through the park on Saturday were treated for severe heat illness, two were taken for advanced medical care in Las Vegas, and a third died from heat exposure near Badwater Basin, according to the National Park Service. 

Four other riders were treated onsite and released.

According to the NPS, due to the record high of 128 degrees, emergency medical flight helicopters were unable to respond because of the extreme heat. When temperatures exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit, a medical helicopter cannot access the park. Air expands when it is heated, becoming thinner than cold air. 

So, helicopters can’t get the lift needed to fly. 

That was the news flash that popped up on my desktop on a Wednesday morning in early July.

This was so sad to hear, and although it might be easy to ask why some riders would put themselves in this situation, as riders we know that sometimes we don’t ride into a situation, but the situation rides into us.

Still, there is a point when you must be open to your options.

The last time we were in Badwater it was quite the opposite. At least 100 degrees cooler – and dealing with sand, snow, and wind all at the same time. It was not a good situation, and as soon as we could, like Bob Dylan sang, we sought shelter from the storm.

Humans live in a “Goldilocks Zone.”

Too much on either side of this and we begin to suffer; and so do the men and women that are paid to help.

So Hot That Help Can’t Help…

If temps top 120°F in Death Valley, for example, rescue personnel are required to take a 50-minute cool-off break for every 10 minutes they spend outside. That makes it tough to get a hiker out of trouble in a timely manner. In the Grand Canyon, helicopter rescue is sometimes the only option when a medical emergency occurs in the canyon bottom.

“Even in good weather conditions, trying to carry someone out from a point just three miles into the canyon is almost beyond our ability,” says Fitzgerald. “It’s brutal.” Carrying the litter uphill in that kind of terrain is so difficult that it can require at least 16 rescuers to take turns. 

Helicopters are not an option:

“When air is heated, it expands, so it’s thinner than air that’s cold,” explains Brian Byrod, a helicopter pilot for California Highway Patrol which responds to hiker emergencies throughout the Sacramento Area and Lake Tahoe. When air is thin, helicopters can’t get the lift they need to fly. In parks throughout the U.S. this summer, helicopter crews have had to wait for nightfall and cooler temperatures to get off the ground. 

Starting to think a high-altitude hike would be a better option for rescue if things go wrong? Think again. Low-elevation parks aren’t the only ones suffering from the heat-grounded helicopters epidemic. That’s because the insufficient-lift issue compounds at higher altitudes where the air is already thin, says Byrod, whose division serves several peaks that top 11,000 or 12,000 feet. 

“Sixty-five degrees is really hot for those altitudes. At that temperature, the aircraft is going to be really sluggish. You’re going to have reduced performance,” he explains. 

Hotter than that, and the chopper might not be able to fly at all. In 2007, an experienced pilot crashed in Washington State after taking off from about 5,000 feet in 70-degree temperatures. The diagnosis: The air was too thin for the pilot to maintain control of the aircraft. 

Hundreds of years ago sailors, and travelers got caught flatfooted all the time. In World War 2 Admiral Halsey’s Fleet was waylaid by a typhoon in the Pacific. The storm sank three destroyers, killed 790 sailors, damaged 9 other warships, and swept dozens of aircraft overboard off their aircraft carriers. Although they knew it was coming- it did not change Halsey’s plans – and our fleet paid for this. There was no Calvary – they were the Calvary! (Army / Navy Game not withstanding)

Pay attention to the weather – your phone’s app may save you from a lot of grief.