Man Dies in Death Valley After 1-Mile Hike in 119-Degree Heat

August 13, 2024

Peter Hayes Robino arrived at the Natural Bridge trail’s parking lot in Death Valley on August 1 after a short hike in the desert. That afternoon, the National Park’s Furnace Creek weather station recorded a peak temperature of 119 degrees. Death Valley said it was likely that hot when Robino returned from the 1-mile hike. Within a couple of hours, he would be dead from heat exposure.

Witnesses said that the 57-year-old Los Angeles resident stumbled off the trail and into the Natural Bridge Trail parking lot sometime in the mid-afternoon. Bystanders approached Robino to offer help, but he declined, instead climbing into his vehicle and starting the engine. As he drove away, his car careened over a steep 20-foot embankment at the edge of the lot. His airbags deployed as he tumbled down the hill. Gear Junkie