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Outlook: The lost hiker who said goodbye with his hat

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Ed Rosenthal

09/11/2023 GMT

The lost hiker who said goodbye with his hat

BBC World Service - Outlook, The lost hiker who said goodbye with his hat

Ed Rosenthal got lost in the desert in the middle of a heatwave

Ed Rosenthal got lost in the desert in the middle of a heatwave. He ran out of water within a few hours. It would be many more days before he was found.

Ed Rosenthal loves to go hiking in Joshua Tree National Park near where he lives in southern California. But in September 2010, as he set off on one of his favourite afternoon hikes, Ed suddenly lost his bearings and couldn't retrace his steps. In fact, Ed walked for miles in the wrong direction, right into the Mojave Desert. Over the next several days his attempts to get back to the trail turned into a quest for a survival. His water supplies ran out on the first day. And it would be six more days before he was rescued. Temperatures soared to nearly 40 degrees Celsius that week. Ed, a keen poet, wrote messages to his family on his hat, telling them what kind of funeral he wanted and how much he loved them. He's written a book of poetry about the experience, called The Desert Hat. His memoir is called Salvation Canyon.

Presenter: Seyi Rhodes
Producer: Jo Impey

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Ed Rosenthal's hat. Credit: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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