Swarm of Bees Causes Hiker to Fall to his Death on Echo Canyon Trail
Another person dies on Camelback Mountain. This time the circumstances are tragic and somewhat out of the control of the victim. After being attacked by a swarm of bees 19 year old, Joshua Ruzsa fell to his death, off the side of the Echo Canyon Trail near Ice Box Canyon.
The reports from various news outlets vary widely on the exact facts. But what is consistent is that Joshua was a Marine recruit and was hiking with two other marine recruits when they encountered a swarm of bees. The other two hikers were able to hold on until rescue crews arrived but during the flee Joshua fell at least 60 ft with reports ranging up to 150 feet to his death. The various news reports state that the other two hikers were stung at least 100 times each, with a report claiming one hiker received up to 1,000 bee stings. The other two hikers were taken to the hospital where they are recovering.
This is truly a sad story. Especially after watching the video of the family reaction. I feel really bad for the victim’s loved ones. Having hiked Camelback hundreds of times, there are several dangerous spots and definitely not a shortage of wildlife. I’ve ran into snakes, Gila monsters and bees plenty of times. Luckily, I never ran into a large enough swarm to cause me to have to flee.
This story is yet another example of why Hiking Camelback is not to be taken lightly. Summer or winter, hot or cold there are plenty of challenges for a hiker. I think it is easy to forget this because the mountain is smack dab in the middle of the most metropolitan area of Phoenix. The reality is that, its a mountain, and has all the dangers you would expect to find on one. This includes at aggressive wildlife.
Bee Rescue Video From AZCentral.com
(This video has since been removed)
Interview With Family
(This video has since been removed)
