Hikers are still venturing out to the desert despite the record heat
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
It's been over 120 degrees during the day in some parts of California. And at Joshua Tree National Park, a team of volunteers is standing by to protect people who venture into the desert anyway. From KVCR in San Bernardino, Madison Aument reports.
MADISON AUMENT, BYLINE: Heading out on the Oasis of Mara trail at Joshua Tree National Park, it's hard to understand what about it is an oasis.
ANN MURDY: There's not a lot of shade.
AUMENT: That's Ann Murdy, who's a park volunteer. Rare and protected Joshua trees, the park's namesake, are all over the place. They're spiky and cool-looking but offer zero refuge. Murdy says tourists love to snap photos of them and also the sign at the trailhead.
MURDY: It says do not die today.
AUMENT: While it's funny, it's also serious. Wednesday, the temperature hit 102 degrees before noon. There's no cellphone service. There's no place to get water. And everything in this park - that's about the size of Rhode Island - looks brown and rocky, so it's easy to get lost.
MURDY: People get confused on the simplest trails.
AUMENT: Murdy is part of the preventative search and rescue team. She makes sure that visitors know what they're getting themselves into and hands out supplies to keep them safe.
MURDY: I always have extra water, salty snacks, dog bowl. I've supplied a lot of bandages and first aid cream and tweezers.
AUMENT: Tweezers to pull out cactus spikes. The idea for this team was born at the Grand Canyon more than 25 years ago. Rangers there realized many emergencies could've been prevented, so they sent volunteers out to try to educate people. In 2021, as Joshua Tree started getting a lot more visitors, they built their own team. The 30 volunteers fan out across the park. Ranger Sasha Travaglio says a lot of little things that can become catastrophic are easily fixable.
SASHA TRAVAGLIO: Like, if they were drinking more water or had more adequate sun protection or, you know, had a plan in place, knowing where they were going and having other people know where they were going.
MURDY: You guys need a map?
NICK GAINER: Yeah, we wanted to get a map.
AUMENT: Back on the Oasis trail, Murdy gives a map to a couple that looks a little confused. Nick and Mickey Gainer (ph) are visiting from Las Vegas.
N GAINER: We came to enjoy some nature. We wanted to check out the cactuses out here.
AUMENT: They're no strangers to heat, but Murdy still make sure they're prepared.
MURDY: Pretty hot this time of day.
N GAINER: Yeah.
MURDY: You have a hat?
MICKEY GAINER: Yeah. I have a hat.
MURDY: Yeah, good, good. And you've got...
AUMENT: She says, of course, she and the other volunteers can't reach the some 3 million people that visit annually. But she says there's always that sign, don't die today, as a reminder.
For NPR News, I'm Madison Aument at Joshua Tree National Park.
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