Death of Grand Canyon hiker: Canadian passes away on Bright Angel Trail

A Canadian woman has passed away after hiking on a Grand Canyon National Park trail. 

In a statement, the National Park Service said the victim had been identified as 41-year-old Melanie Goodine, from Ottawa, Ontario. 

Goodine was hiking out of the Arizona canyon on Thursday after trekking to the Colorado River earlier that day.

At approximately 5:50 p.m. MDT, the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report of a hiker in distress on the Bright Angel Trail above Three-Mile Resthouse. 

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Soon after, Goodine became unresponsive and bystanders initiated CPR.

An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the National Park Service in coordination with the Coconino County Medical Examiner. 

No additional information is currently available. 

On Saturday, the Park Service warned of dangerous heat, with an Inner Canyon high temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. 

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“Be prepared for heat, hike early, take plenty of water [and[ snacks and protect yourself from the sun. Hikers [and] runners should always carry water purification or filtration with them. All Corridor Trail water is on. Except Supai Tunnel on N. Kaibab Trail,” it said.

The Park Service urges special caution for all hikers during the summer months. 

“Every year, scores of unprepared hikers, lured by initially easy downhill hiking, experience severe illness, injury, or death from hiking in the canyon,” it warns, noting that efforts to assist those in need may be delayed due to “limited staff, the number of rescue calls, employee safety requirements and limited helicopter flying capability during periods of extreme heat or inclement weather.”

In addition, in the Grand Canyon’s backcountry, the National Park Service Office of Public Health has received increasing reports of gastrointestinal illness and norovirus among users.