(WHDH) — A Massachusetts woman visiting Arizona died while hiking in the desert heat over the weekend.
A police officer found the woman in her 30s dead near a home on Camelback Mountain.
The woman had been hiking with a man, who told police that they were at the halfway point when she began overheating and decided to turn around.
He said he kept hiking to the top after they agreed to meet back up in the parking lot but the woman never made it down.
Phoenix Fire Capt. Rob McDade said that this is a dangerous mountain.
“If you were to really look at it like a ski mountain, this is a double diamond and it says it on the trail,” he said. “It’s an expert level hike, especially with the conditions.”
Officials say the woman did not have any water and they believe she was looking for help when she collapsed.
“Hiking alone is a dangerous thing so if you start as a group, you should end as a group,” McDade said.
Phoenix fire officials are reminding people to start hiking early in the day and to make sure to bring plenty of water and wear proper foot gear.
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