Yucaipa Man Dies Hiking In Joshua Tree National Park as Temperatures Soar

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, CA

According to park officials, temperatures reached approximately 120 degrees the day the 20-year-old man was found.

A hiker who died over the weekend at Joshua Tree National Park has been identified as a 20-year-old man.

Benjamin Whittier was found unresponsive by search and rescue crews around 11:30 p.m. Saturday at the base of Pinto Mountain.

Around 7 p.m. that same day, Whittier’s hiking partner reported that the Yucaipa man was unconscious and in need of immediate aid in the Turkey Flats area of the park.

When rescue crews arrived, staff from Joshua Tree National Park administered CPR to Whittier but were unable to revive him, according to a National Parks Service news release.

Whittier’s body was airlifted from the area by a sheriff’s helicopter, the NPS release stated.

Temperatures in the park were estimated to have reached approximately 120 degrees on Saturday, according to the NPS.

“Park officials advise exercising caution when hiking, and always carrying more water than you think you will need,” the NPS said. “Hikers are encouraged to recreate early in the day and be vigilant in extreme heat conditions.”

Whittier’s health condition prior to his death was not reported.

Foul play is not suspected in Whittier’s death.

Whittier’s death comes a little over two weeks after the body of Alberto Serrano Alvarez, 42, of Coachella Valley was found near Black Eagle Mine Road in Joshua Tree National Park.

Located one hour north of the Coachella Valley in Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree National Park covers 794,000 acres of two diverse desert ecosystems: the Colorado and Mojave Deserts.

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