[smhinsey]

As someone who lives nearby part of the year, I really think this story has taken on a life of its own. It's true that there is some gross algae in the South Fork Merced but from all of the public info, they didn't even make it that far. If you look at where they started and where they were recovered, you'll see that in between is a fully exposed descent down a series of switchbacks. It was extremely hot that day. They probably died of heat exhaustion. It's unusual for it to get the dog too, but if they didn't have water for themselves, they probably didn't for the dog. It's not hard to imagine getting to the bottom and realizing you're in serious trouble.

This family closely mirrors mine, so I've followed the story closely, and it seems like they just made a grievous error in judgment in an area they weren't familiar with.

[autokad]

it seems highly unlikely the mother, father, and dog all died of heat exhaustion at the same time, unless the dog died/passed out and they were carrying it. Even then, I would have suspected the mother/daughter taking cover and the dad going ahead.

[carabiner]

Incredibly rare. Huge numbers of people hike the PCT in the desert every year, and some years 1 or 2 people die of heat exhaustion. It's never big groups of people at the same time. Same with heat-related deaths at Grand Canyon, Death Valley etc.

[truculent]

The article says that they were avid hikers. I’m not familiar with the area, but carrying plenty of water seems like a relatively fundamental bit of prep. Am I missing something?

[Buttons840]

Safety tip: carry plenty of water and a personal locator beacon. You have to pay for the hardware and register it, but afterwards it's free and is a reliable way to summon emergency services from anywhere. It sends an emergency signal received by satellites and rescuers will be alerted of the location of the signal.

[rufus_foreman]

People make mistakes.

I used to be an avid hiker, on one trip I got to the trailhead and realized I had forgotten to fill the water bottles. I usually took 2 or 3 liters, but there was only half a liter in one of the bottles from the previous hike. It was really hot that day. I went on the hike anyway. I almost died.

[par]

actually, the most avid hikers i know usually are overconfident, and underestimate their water needs. I always carry excess water, even after years on the trail, and always have to give some to my even more well traveled companions.

[Koshkin]

Unless you are in the middle of a desert, not bringing gallons of bottled water is OK. Water from some natural sources is safe for drinking (knowing which kind is important here); being able to boil water makes things even better. On the other hand, I myself have made day-long trips without consuming any water at all; looks like it is not far from truth that one can easily survive without water for a few days. (I would also note that to me it seems that for some people who I observed constant drinking water is more of a bad habit than a necessity.)

[encoderer]

Wouldn’t it have been obvious that they had no water with them? Did I miss that detail somewhere?

[ransom1538]

Grew up in northern California. What is suspicious was the death of the dog. The dog can live 2-3 days without water - and most likely would have found some. (They smell water).

[datenarsch]

Maybe they just had the dog on leash so it wouldn't run off.

[hellbannedguy]

I am not familiar with that area, but when hiking, I try to map out natural springs.

You won't need them going in, but it's coming back. I once went through a gallon of water on a hot day, and that spring I found earlier saved me.

(I haven't been on a long hike since that day though.)

[NelsonMinar]

I hope you bring purification equipment too. Giardia blows.

[robbrown451]

If it was an ascent rather than a descent that seems more likely, since they'd be exerting far more.

It just seems really weird for all three of them to die pretty much at the same time. (the baby of course could have died hours later of exposure)

I'm still betting on some kind of toxin.

Really tragic, they seemed like a really happy family.

[smhinsey]

You’d be surprised how much of an effort it takes to safely descend a steep slope with poor traffic. Definitely harder going up but if you check it out on google earth you can get an idea of the grade.

[eplanit]

They seem too well-educated to not be aware of toxic algae (very common throughout northern CA), and would know to not drink the water -- and certainly not give it to the child. Dogs do often tragically die every summer from drinking from streams, though. Similarly, it's odd for a responsible couple with a child and dog to not know to bring water, etc.

Heat or alage aren't impossible, but it sure does seem odd.