For those of you who are from Arizona, you're probably aware of the tragedy which occurred on June 30, 2013. For those that do not know, do not read this and go watch the movie Only The Brave. Have a box of tissues ready.
Aaron and I watched Only the Brave on a whim when we were in Lake Havasu in 2020. We had just gotten our backpacking tent and wanted to make use of it. So, we set it up in the living room in front of the TV with a few blankets and pillows. As we were searching through Hulu we came across this movie which we both saw a lot of actors we like in the trailer. Again, do not read this if you have not watched the movie or know about what happened.
When the movie finished we sat there with our jaws dropped and saying, "Was that real?". Yes! Since watching the movie we have recommended it to so many people and made it a goal to do the Granite Mountain Hot Shot hike in Yarnell, Arizona.
After visiting Beth and her family in Scottsdale we drove up to Yarnell to start our hike. We were prepared with our hiking bags and water as this is a 7 mile hike with no shade. As you hike you walk by plaques of the men who died.
Each one has a picture of them and a little description about them. A few were Marines. A few had just started that year or the year prior. Many were worshipers of God and family oriented people.
In the picture below, you can see the death site and the safe zone they were trying to get to.
Below is a picture of the timeline. We quickly realized that there was not much time between the last communication, 4:41pm, and the confirmation of 19 deceased, 6:35pm.
The view from the overlook site really shows you how close they were to safety. They needed to go less than half a mile to make it to safety.
Then we took the trek down to the tragedy site.
Each cross has a name to correspond where they were when they died.
There were also tons of stickers, hats, shirts, and more from other fire departments who have done the hike in support of the Granite Mountain Hot Shots.
This hike was sobering and memorable. It felt amazing to show our support for these brave men who lost their lives fighting fire. If you're in this area, we highly suggest hiking it!
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