Making a 1,000 Mile Walk With a Kid

In the last three months....looking over this migrant 'trek' up through Mexico and leading to the US border, there are a lot of problems and poor-detailed news stories laid out over the event.

So I look today at the second kid who has apparently died from heat exhaustion from this trek (while in US possession).

Most people aren't aware of it, but in Arizona (one of those places where I lived for three years)....there's roughly 110 people (on average) that dies from heat exhaustion, heat stroke, or dehydration.  No one goes down into details but I would take a guess that the bulk are people who didn't grow up in the state, and moved down into the region.

Folks getting all hyped up and angry because 110 people die each year in Arizona?  No.  No one seems to get angry. 

TV folks will often comment about the necessity of carrying water on you, and avoiding the sun in the mid-day. 

In 2017, an all-time record occurred, with 155 heat deaths reported in the state.

Most Americans will admit they've never been to Arizona and can't really imagine a typical July day where the heat might reach 110-degrees. 

From my period in Arizona, I came to four observations by the end:

1.  Concrete and asphalt radiate heat, so if you were walking or jogging in the mid-day period in Tucson (in July)....it's probably closer to 115 degrees radiating around you. 

2.  Just staying out of the direct sun makes a ton of difference. 

3.  Never drink beer or wine as your dehydration choices. 

4.  Just walking around for two hours in direct sunlight at noon, with a 110-degree temperature....is enough to get you going toward dehydration and heat stroke. 

So dragging a six-year old kid along on some 1,000 mile trek to cross the US border?  All you are doing is throwing a set of dice on a gamble that he might survive or he might die.  To walk only at night?  It might be a better choice but then you have to gamble on stepping on a rattlesnake.  So none of this makes much sense.