A group of 16 religious hikers set out to climb a dangerous mountain in Arizona on Thursday morning.
They had the intention of recording a
reality show
to 'record' their contact with God, but the expedition took some of them to the hospital, after a complicated rescue operation.
The hikers did not count on the fact that they carried very little water and the heat became more relentless as the day progressed.
Several miles up Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona, temperatures began to rise, reaching 106º F by noon.
Seeing that there were no trees for shelter
, Tatiana Robinson, one of the hikers, realized that they were in serious trouble.
Camelback Mountain Echo Canyon, in Phoenix, Arizona. BCFC / Getty Images/iStockphoto
"I started to get very, very dizzy," he told local news channel KSAZ, "and after that we thought: no, we can't go on."
She and the others were part of a group of women from different states who gathered in Phoenix for an annual religious retreat, according to the Fire Department.
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Another of the women, identified as Keisha Carter, told the same channel that they were filming a reality show called
Bad girls gone God
, which consists of performing extreme activities to get closer to God.
According to firefighters, the group included women from Alabama, Tennessee and California.
“We praise, we worship, we do different activities that not only test our physical [side], but also test our spiritual side,” Jasmin Hunter told KSAZ.
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Authorities frequently warn hikers about the dangers of climbing Camelback Mountain during the summer, when temperatures reach triple digits Fahrenheit.
In August 2021, a hiker was found dead on the mountain after suffering from heat stroke, after being abandoned by the man who had invited her on a blind date.
"He's relentless, that's the word I like to use
," Phoenix Fire Department Chief Ron McDade said at the time.
“This mountain doesn't care who you are, or how good a hiker or how experienced you are.
The mountain, in a situation like this, usually always wins”.
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Facebook users have created groups to alert tourists to the dangers of the mountain and the need to be well prepared for a climb.
One of these groups is called Please Don't Die or Have to Be Rescued from Camelback Mountain, Arizona.
Among other advice, users suggest carrying at least three liters of water for each hiker.
"Unfortunately, (the hikers) did not see this page before making the decision to climb the mountain," the group wrote on Facebook after Robinson and her companions had to be rescued.
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Eight of the hikers suffered "heat related problems" and had to be hospitalized, the Fire Department said.
"I barely made it downstairs. I had a seizure in the car, almost passed out. It was too much
," said Kristen Livingstone, one of the nuns.
Many have died trying to climb the dangerous mountain.
In 2016, 16 hikers lost their lives in a single day after being unable to withstand intense dehydration in extremely high temperatures, warns the group on Facebook.
