New Jersey man dies while hiking in Arizona's Superstition Wilderness

Be aware of local conditions, be prepared for the worst conditions possible and know your limits. I've hiked in Arizona for almost two decades, I've also hiked in Death Valley and southern Utah, the desert is a place of extremes, freezing temperatures in the winter and blistering heat in the summer. If I'm going hiking some place hot like Death Valley, I'm drinking more than usual water in the weeks before, limiting my protein intake, and turning the ac warmer leading up to the hike. Taking those precautions a healthy active person can tolerate the heat, and it's less dangerous, not safe, but less dangerous. 
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2021/09/21/new-jersey-man-dies-while-hiking-in-superstition-wilderness-in-arizona/8413567002/

Family warns tourists of Arizona heat after New Jersey man dies while hiking in Superstition Wilderness

"People that are coming to vacation there or aren't from there from out of town, it just seems like they're unaware of just how hot it can be," Erin Zamorsky said. "In this instance, he didn't realize how hot it actually was."

Zamorsky hopes to bring awareness to the dangers of hiking in Arizona during the summer after her brother, Christopher Dyer, died while hiking with his girlfriend on Sept. 4 while visiting from New Jersey.

Despite its popularity, hiking in Arizona has proven deadly for visitors and locals alike —at least two other people are known to have died, likely due to heat exposure, while hiking in metro Phoenix this summer. 

Zamorsky shared that her brother and his girlfriend were celebrating their first big trip together here in Arizona.

Zamorsky and her family received a text from Dyer "about 10:30 our time, so I believe 7:30 a.m. Arizona time," said Zamorsky, "and he had sent a picture to our group text that said something like 'Off on our hike.'"

In another photo, recovered from Dyer's phone, Christopher and his girlfriend are at the Black Mesa trailhead marker at about 9 a.m., according to Zamorsky. 

Tragedy in the wilderness

The area the two were hiking in is located in the Superstition Wilderness, a portion of  Arizona desert over 160,000 acres, to the east of Apache Junction. It is popular with outdoorsy Arizonans thanks to its hiking and running trails that are open year-round.

After several hours of hiking, the family lost contact with Dyer, Zamorsky said, because "the area they were in had a bad signal." This stranded Dyer's girlfriend, who was unable to leave him alone to seek help.

On the day of the incident, Dyer had told his sister that there was almost no one on the trail, which was strange because they had researched and picked it because it was a family-friendly trail, according to Zamorsky.

Black Mesa Trail and Dutchman Trail Loop form an 8.7-mile moderately difficult loop, according to AllTrails. 

A passerby saw Dyer in distress and immediately offered to help. The unidentified individual did so by traversing down the mountain until they were able to gain a phone signal and call 911, according to Zamorsky.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office received a call for service about an unconscious individual near the Black Mesa trailhead in the Superstition Wilderness, according to Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Monica Bretado.

One of the Sheriff's Office's rescue aircraft responded to the service call and located Dyer at about 6 p.m., when he was pronounced dead.

Due to the remote location of Dyer, he died 20 to 30 minutes before emergency personnel were able to reach him, according to Zamorsky.

The cause and manner of Dyer's death are still being determined as of Tuesday, according to the website for the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner. 

Family mourns loss 

Zamorsky would like people to remember the kindness, love and curiosity that attracted others to Dyer.

"He loved to hang out with friends," Zamorsky said, "and he loved to stream, he met a lot of his friends through that."

This love was apparent to those closest to him: "He was a really proud uncle," Zamorsky said. He had four nieces and one nephew and he was the godfather to two of the nieces.

Dyer was an active individual who found a calling in doing things with others. 

"He was a hockey player most of his life. Up until about the age of 18 or 19," Zamorsky said.

His family hopes this tragic situation can lead to increased awareness for the dangers of hiking during the Arizona summer.

Angela Tramonte, who was visiting Phoenix from the Boston area, died due to heat exposure while hiking Camelback Mountain in July. Donna Miller, who was from Rhode Island, died while hiking in Scottsdale on Sept. 12. 

"Our main goal is just so that other people don't have to go through this," Zamorsky said. "I think that's important that people know just how often it's happening, and it seems like it's happening very often."

Reach breaking news reporter Steven Hernandez at steven.hernandez@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @The_HdzCo. 

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Jason @BeardedOverland www.beardedadv.blogspot.com