ZION NATIONAL PARK – A woman tragically died while hiking the popular Narrows in Zion National Park with her husband. The National Park Service says the couple, a 31-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man, were just a mile and a half from the end of their 16-mile route when the woman could go no farther.
The man kept going to the north end of the paved Riverside Walk to get help. Other hikers performed CPR on the woman before first responders arrived but she could not be revived.
The couple had reportedly traveled top-down on the permitted hike starting Tuesday, Nov. 22. The husband said they got dangerously cold overnight and reported symptoms of hypothermia. He pushed on the next morning. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.
The Narrows is an extremely popular hike in Zion. During the summer, thousands of people each day trek up the Virgin River into a steep canyon with sheer walls. In order to proceed, you must walk through the water, which can be deep in places. In the summer, the water can be chilly and the canyon itself can be cold, especially where the sun cannot reach the streambed and as winds blow through. In the fall and winter, the temperatures are significantly colder. People still take on the adventure but are equipped with drysuits to stay warm.
