Comments about ‘Woman dies near Delicate Arch’

I've seen tour busses full of foreigners set their passengers loose on trails out there with no water in summer before. I think foreign tourists need to be better informed of the risks heat and dehydration and tour operators should be urged to provide water.

It is sad that she was on vacation when she met her end. We should all learn from this and go into the desert prepared for at least a day. May the Lord ease the pain of those that she leaves behind.

It is July on the desert--100 degree days are the norm. Everyone should be aware of how life-threatening the conditions are outside. I agree that tourists should be warned of the dangers, although I am only speculating as to the exact cause of death.

I have hiked that trail many times and it's not a difficult trail. It easily could have been heat related. The heat will get ya on those red rocks. so sad .

These unscrupulous tour companies are very well aware of the life and death situations of the desert in July. providing their patrons with ample water would cut into their bottom line. really sad. Why are't these hikes made in the early morning and late afternoon? These ignorant tourists are at the mercy of their tour guides whom should know better.

There is a sign at the Trailhead to Delicate Arch warning hikers to have water and stay hydrated. It is unfortunate that she passed away. But if I when I go it sounds like a good way to go, on vacation in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Me: I would rather die in Paris than live in Utah.

It's better to die on vacation thsn to die at work.

To Whatever,

I would rather die in Utah and live in Paris.

At least she wasn't abandoned in a car.

....reading anything about this lady being connected with a tour company. People do travel without them, you know. My heart goes out to her friends and family.

Your article says, "...at the time she went down".
That expression, "went down" is one of the latest popular bits of language that is imprecise and conveys insufficient meaning. I had to stop and consider all the possibilities it presented. "Where did she go...went down where? Walked down, climbed down?" "Did she fall down the steep funnel at the
arch?" "Is that '...went down' anything like the phrase 'to put down' as in to kill'?" Did she collapse? Now there is a lovely word that says it all. Did she fall to the ground? That is more wordy but it is specific. Good writing isn't easy!

Doubtless her heirs will be suing anybody they can -- tour companies for not being by her side with a machine to restart a stopped heart, the Park Service for allowing people to stray more than 100 yards from a spot that can be reached by ambulance, Utah for failing to provide free guides written in French upon arrival at the airport, the county for failing to have a helicopter on the ready in case a tourist drops to the ground.

Whatever and Anonymous: I would rather live and die in Utah

I didn't have a problem with "went down". To me, that phrase means she simply went from a standing and ambulatory posture to one that was prone and lying on the ground. "Collapse" may not have been the right choice, since nobody saw her leave the trail; we don't know if she wandered off in a heat-induced delirium and sat down somewhere, only to succumb to the heat minutes later. I heard that the people she was with chose to complete the hike to the arch, and leave her (who wasn't feeling well) behind on the trail. They were going to come back for her when they returned from their picture taking. They had also been on at least one other grueling hike in the park earlier that day. In any case, the woman wasn't there when they came back for her, so passers-by helped search for the woman and found her unresponsive some distance from the trail. People -- particularly out-of-country tourists -- really do need to heed the warning signs about water and heat exhaustion.

Why blame anyone? There is not enough information to blame or assume. Who knows? Perhaps she was well hydrated and died of a heart attack.

I'd rather live and die in Utah...but I WOULD like to VISIT Paris sometime!