PCT hiker dies near Anza
A hiker suffered a medical emergency and died on the Pacific Crest Trail near Anza; the Riverside County Coroner later identified him as a 43‑year‑old man from San Diego. (eu.desertsun.com)
A 43-year-old San Diego hiker died on the Pacific Crest Trail near Anza after deputies got a distress call just before noon on Thursday, April 9, and reached him in a remote section near Coyote Canyon Road. The Riverside County Coroner later identified him as Ian Maclurg and listed his time of death as 12:19 p.m. (desertsun.com, backpacker.com) The hard part of this story is the setting. The Pacific Crest Trail runs about 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada, and the stretch near Anza sits in Southern California desert country where help can be far away even when a road looks close on a map. (pcta.org, fs.usda.gov) Backpacker reported the emergency happened near Mile 140 on California Section B, where Coyote Canyon Road crosses the trail near Anza. That puts the incident very early in the route for northbound hikers who start at the Mexican border near Campo. (backpacker.com, pcta.org) Riverside County sheriff’s deputies provided medical aid, but the hiker was pronounced dead at the scene. Because the area was remote, the sheriff’s aviation unit was called in to help with the recovery. (backpacker.com, kesq.com) The Pacific Crest Trail Association tells hikers to carry the latest water report in Southern California because long dry stretches can turn a normal walk into a logistics problem. On this part of the trail, the first challenge is often not steep climbing but distance between reliable water sources. (pcta.org, pcta.org) Authorities have not publicly given a cause of death beyond calling it a medical emergency, and Sgt. Robert Martinez said the coroner’s investigation was still ongoing on Friday, April 10. That means the basic timeline is public, but the medical reason is not. (desertsun.com, bluewaterhealthyliving.com)
