Two tragic deaths in Phoenix are not what they seem.

The deaths of 31 year old Angela Tramonte in July 2021 and 10 year old Cortinez Logan Jr. in July 2024 are a tragic reminder of the danger of the Arizona heat, in particular to people who have just arrived from a place that has cooler weather.

While the circumstances of their tragic deaths differ greatly, there are also similarities.

Both arrived in the valley the day before, from places where the high temperatures were at least 40 degrees cooler than in Phoenix.

Both did not have sufficient heat acclimatization and were not experienced in recognizing signs of heat illness.

Both started their hike very late in the morning, around 9:30am. While this might classify as early for some things, it is NOT early for summer hikes. Early in Phoenix in the summer is before the sun rises, like 04:30am.

This is a reminder that when you host visitors from other climates, please be very careful to what we as hosts expose them to. Even though they might be ‘great hikers’ in their own environment, Phoenix is on a different level. According to academic research, evidence shows that people who live in extreme heat for six months undergo several physiological adaptations to cope with high temperatures.

Closing the trails for all Phoenicians does not make sense. Warning visitors, who just arrive in the valley, does.