A man found dead at Arches National Park on the morning of Aug. 1 is believed to have died from heat stroke while trying to spread his father’s ashes, family members say.
James Bernard Hendricks, 66, was found dead near the Sand Dune Arch Trail after he had been reported overdue on a return from his hike. His sisters, Ila Hendricks and Ruth Hendricks Brough, believe the combination of heat, dehydration and high altitudes caused the Texas man to become disoriented, leading to his ultimate death, CBS News reported.
View of the Delicate Arch at sunset in the Arches National Park near Moab, Utah on April 21, 2018. – The park which has over 2000 arches that were formed over 100 million years by a combination of water, ice, extreme temperatures and underground salt movement. (Photo by Mark Ralston / AFP via Getty Images)
A seasoned hiker, Hendricks stopped in Utah to visit Arches National Park while on a trek to the Sierra Nevada mountains. There, Hendricks planned to spread his father’s ashes on a peak located outside Reno, Nevada, his sisters told the outlet. It is believed Hendricks undertook a long hike on the morning of July 29 and then died on a second, shorter hike later in the day. (RELATED: Family Files $140 Million Suit Against Arches National Park After Gate Decapitates Daughter)
Temperatures in the area that day topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit and Hendricks was reportedly taking medication that could lead to dehydration. When he was found two-and-a-half miles from the trail head, his water bottle was empty, Brough told CBS News.
“It was just a horrible crushing blow to everybody,” she told the outlet. “He was the quintessential nature boy who went everywhere and did everything. He was so strong.”
The National Park Service and Grand County Sheriff’s Office are continuing their investigation into Hendricks’ death, and though they have not yet determined an official cause of death, they have stated heat and altitude were “relevant factors,” the outlet stated.