Man on trip to spread father’s ashes dies of heat stroke in Utah’s Arches National Park
File photo of Arches National Park in Utah. A Texas man whose body was found in the park is believed to have died of heat stroke while on a trip to spread his father’s ashes, according to family. (National Park Service )
SALT LAKE CITY - A Texas man whose body was found in Utah’s Arches National Park is believed to have died of heat stroke while on a trip to spread his father’s ashes, according to family.
James Bernard Hendricks, 66 of Austin, was hiking in the park and likely became disoriented from a combination of heat, dehydration and high altitude, his sister Ruth Hendricks Bough said.
Hendricks had stopped in Utah while journeying across the West to the Sierra Nevada region of Nevada and California to spread his father’s ashes, he said in social media posts prior to his death. He shared updates along the way, marking his posts with the title "A Final Journey with My Father."
Rangers found his vehicle at a trailhead parking lot after Hendricks was reported overdue the morning of Aug. 1.
"Park rangers located the individual's vehicle at the Sand Dune Arch Trail parking lot and initiated a search of the area. The man was found deceased off-trail nearby," park officials said in a press release last week.
His water bottle was empty, Hendrick’s sister said on social media.
On Facebook she said, "His body was found in a sitting position, as though looking forward, in one of the most beautiful places in the world."
She also shared a quote from a cousin who said, "Jimmy revered nature and he was intelligent and an experienced explorer."
The National Park Service and Grand County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the death.
Arches National Park, located in a high-elevation desert north of Moab, Utah, is known for its natural sandstone arches.
Temperatures topped 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) in the area on the afternoon before Hendricks was reported missing.
KTVU contributed to this story.