St. Louis Man Dies in Badlands Taking a Social Media Challenge
This is sad on so many levels. A St. Louis man has died while taking a hike in the Badlands of South Dakota that was part of a challenge offered on social media.
UPDATE: KZRG is now reporting that the South Dakota sheriff who initially attributed the Missouri hiker's death to a social media challenge has now backed down from that claim.
ORIGINAL STORY: I've seen this tragic news shared by several media outlets including KY3, Mitchell Republic and KVEN. They all confirm that a 22-year-old St. Louis man was hiking in the Badlands on a trail that was featured on a social media challenge. The trail was unmarked which led him and the person hiking with him to run out of water. KSDK reports that he ran out of water and collapsed, dying of exposure and dehydration.
There are reports that the family disputes that he was on a social media challenge and was just on an unmarked trail.
The person who was hiking with him has not been identified, but they were rescued and life flighted to Monument Hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Several years ago, there was a long conversation on Reddit about what a bad idea it is to hike on an unmarked trail. It was noted how important it was to make sure you can always stay hydrated and to alert someone to where you'll be and when you'll be back and who to contact if something goes wrong.
Family Minded is one of many sites warning of the danger of social media challenges and how they can go wrong.