Park rangers on Saturday announced the death of a San Francisco man, 60, who was hiking in Death Valley National Park at 108-degree heat.
Lawrence Stanback, the victim, was discovered lifeless near Red Cathedral on the Golden Canyon Trail on Wednesday. His location was tracked over a mile from the trailhead.
At around 1:40 p.m., the National Park Service said CPR was reported to have been performed by its staff on a suspected stroke victim.
Stanback was confirmed dead after the inter-agency search and rescue operation’s park rangers responded to the hostile location.
The California Highway Patrol tried to send a helicopter to retrieve the body but failed due to strong winds. That evening, the park rangers who went to the site by foot managed to recover the victim’s body.
Death Valley, which overlaps California and Nevada and stooped below sea level, is known for being the driest and hottest among the national parks.
The temperature in the area last month reached 130 degrees, which is only 4 degrees lower than the highest temperature on the planet recorded in 1913.
A warning sign saying, “Stop — Extreme Heat Danger — Walking after 10 a.m. not recommended,” can be seen before the trail.
Stanback’s death marks the second death of a hiker in Death Valley in a span of less than a month, San Francisco Chronicle reported.
A 69-year-old man from Washington state was also recovered last July 28 on a trail near Badwater in the southern part of the park. On that day, the temperature was recorded at 118 degrees.
