California woman dies while hiking Grand Canyon in scorching heat, park officials say

A California woman hiking the Grand Canyon died as summer heat scorched the national park this week, officials say.

Catherine Houe, 49, of Daly City, was about four miles down the South Kaibab Trail on Wednesday when she turned “dizzy, disoriented and then stopped breathing,” her husband and a friend told park officials. They planned to stay at Phantom Ranch, a popular overnight lodging spot at the bottom of the canyon.

CPR was performed on Houe and the National Park Service responded to the scene with a helicopter, but she died. Her death is suspected to be heat-related, officials say.

Temperatures at Phantom Ranch reached 114 degrees Wednesday.

The park is warning hikers of extreme temperatures over the next few weeks, which can cause heat stroke, heat exhaustion, hyponatremia and death.

Earlier this week, the Grand Canyon National Park shared a photo of a shoe falling apart in the hot temperatures, reminding visitors to be prepared.

“Hikers and backpackers attempting hikes in the inner canyon are strongly encouraged to be prepared for excessively hot temperatures and to understand their own physical limitations in order to prevent emergency situations for themselves and responders,” the park said.