A Belgian tourist has died of apparent heat-related causes while hiking at a popular rock formation called “The Wave” near the Utah-Arizona border.
Kane County sheriff’s Sgt. Alan Alldredge says 49-year-old Christophe Pochic was found dead Monday night after his 16-year-old son called his mother at a hotel to tell her that his father had become disoriented and needed help.
Alldredge says it’s the first death at The Wave at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument since a trio of fatalities in 2013.
The geological gem attracts worldwide visitors with its swirls of searing red, orange and yellow that fold into a bowl. The 6-mile roundtrip hike there is unmarked, and cellphone reception is spotty at best.
Only 20 people are allowed to visit each day, chosen in a lottery system.