Two weeks since I got the phone call that upended my life. Two weeks since I became a widower. Two weeks since I became a single dad to five kids. Two weeks of running non stop making funeral and back to school arrangements. Two weeks since my old life ended and this new one began. After two weeks, I finally have some time to think and begin to process what happened.
My wife died while hiking in the Grand Canyon with my daughter and nephew. They were descending to the river to camp overnight and hike back up the next day. By the time they made it most of the way to the bottom, the temperature had climbed to 107F, they had run out of water and Laura began feeling dizzy. I'm sure Sarah instantly recognized the symptoms of heat exhaustion and her medical training kicked in. What Sarah didn't realize is that if Laura was in the early stages of heat exhaustion, the she was too.
With her mental functions and judgment compromised by the heat, she decided to leave the children in a shaded and safe spot near the trail and rush to the campsite only a mile ahead to get water and some help. She left her backpack at a trail intersection to lighten her load. Sarah met another hiker who was beginning his trip up and out of the canyon and she told him where the kids were. He told her to stay put and he would go get the kids, but for some reason she continued onward toward the camp. After she crossed the river on the black bridge she made a wrong turn off the trail and up into a side canyon where she succumbed to the heat.
The other hiker found the kids, gave them water, and escorted them into camp. When the kids arrived with no sign of Sarah, search and rescue was notified. However, by that time it was already getting dark at the bottom of the canyon and they couldn't do anything till first light. The rangers at the campground took care of the kids till the next day.
I got a phone call from the NPS search team the next morning asking me for details that they needed to begin their search which set in motion about 72 hours of nonstop activity. I clocked out of work and raced home to pack a bag, then headed straight to the airport making phone calls to key people along the way. I caught the next flight to Phoenix where I would rent a car. I called Sarah's brother, Evan's dad, my parents, and spoke to our oldest Clint on my way to the airport.
When I landed in PHX and turned on my phone, I had several messages and got a phone call from our neighbor. Apparently Sarah's disappearance had made the local news and reporters were on our front lawn. I asked her to keep an eye on the house. I called the park ranger who had been designated to contact the family and told her that I had just landed and would be driving up as soon as possible. She said that they would be waiting at the campground for me. At this point I knew that this story wouldn't have a happy ending. If there hadn't been good news after 24 hours, there wouldn't be any at all, but I wasn't really ready to admit this to myself.
I drove to the campground as fast as I could get away with, and tried to keep up with all the incoming calls and text messages. By the time I arrived the sun had set and the campground was full of tourists getting ready for bed. I parked nearby and the park rangers met me with the bad news. I had been mentally thinking about how I would break the news to the kids on the drive up, but nothing can prepare you for a little girls tears. Laura's cries were really what broke my heart that evening. I called my parents and told Clint and Patrick over the phone. My final call that evening was to Sarah's parents.
Two weeks since my whole world changed.
This was the last photo Sarah took at 2:01 pm August 1st, 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment